Interlude 2 - Xander: A Leader's Bluff
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A yawn betrayed Xander’s composure all of a sudden. As he reined himself in, he let his gaze fall across the chamber in front of him with mild scrutiny. Satisfied, he continued to lead the party forward, until they crossed the chamber and entered a winding tunnel.
He wasn’t oblivious to how little he’d slept the last few nights.
Perhaps the only reason he found any sleep at all was because of the quiet—of how still and empty the Calvergian tundra was in the dead of night. Frostwall was too big for its own good, noisy beyond compare, and it was easy to forget just how quiet the outside world could be. Otherwise, he might have really laid awake until dawn, staring at the brown, splotched material of the tent for what must have been the hundredth time, ever trapped in the machinations of his own planning.
Should he try turning left at the fourth tunnel fork this time? Or should he stick to the right? Were his tactics too rigid, or should he encourage more individual maneuvers? It was getting harder to protect everyone whilst simultaneously putting in his own maximum effort. Was he expecting too much from them? Were they simply too low level for even a D-rated dungeon?
Xander rubbed his left eye free of an itch. He paused again, taking in his surroundings once more, before gesturing for the others to continue through a separate tunnel that deviated on their left.
He was tired.
He was more than tired, but that only seemed to add fuel to the already growing fire within in; the one thing that kept him going all this time. His appetite for closure, for retribution, for… something, it was somehow stronger than ever. Every fiber of his being was screaming that what he wanted, what he desperately needed, was right here; it was down in this dungeon. If he could go farther, just push himself a little more, then he could reach it.
It was just that sometimes he wished he didn’t have to worry about anyone else but himself in a place like this.
Peering over his shoulder, Xander regarded a bout of chatter that permeated the group behind him with a sidelong glance. Bredic must have said something stupid, because Vineta was chastising him, and the other two were chuckling between themselves. Xander smiled at the image, but it soon fell away to quiet contemplation as he turned his head back forward.
In his heart, he knew it was a mistake to bring them here.
He should have turned them down the second it was brought up, despite having known about it for weeks in advance. Norman could never keep a secret, especially not one like this. But even still, how could he say no to them after what had happened? How could he tell them that he’d meant to leave them behind, their own party leader, and that he didn’t want them here at all.
How could he tell them that he didn’t care if this place killed him or not? That maybe, some deep, dark part of him had been counting on it all along?
Whatever they saw in him and the things he saw in himself were two realities that were simply unreconcilable anymore. This quest was supposed to be his trial, his alone, and if not then the dungeon could damned well be his tomb for all he cared. He’d accepted that—made peace with it—but then they had to come along, didn’t they? A real quest for a real adventuring party.
Was that what they were?
The dungeon was only going to get more dangerous from here on out, just like it had been on that day… he could handle himself just fine, always had. But he couldn’t be in two, or even three places at once. That much was painfully obvious. If he wanted any shot at achieving his ambition, it seemed likely that he’d have to go at it solo, just like he used to.
Xander clenched his teeth, and tightened his fingers around the hilt of his longsword, so much so that his knuckles began to hurt.
It was a complete betrayal, but he could always take the late watch at camp and slip into the dungeon undetected if he really wanted to. He knew how to bypass Vineta’s detection spell. She was crafty, but he’d figured that out a long time ago, and anyway he’d be long gone by the time they figured out that he’d left. If they could just find that second floor boss room, then everything he originally set out to do by himself was still on the table.
In other words, he could keep his promise, even if it was at the expense of his friends’ trust. Let them hate him. He’d either be dead or sorry, but at least he’d finally have the answer he’d been looking for all this time. He knew they’d come with him if he asked them to—hell only knew they would—but he didn’t want them to go anywhere near where he was going, and he didn’t want them to see what he was willing to become just to get there.
This was the end of his road; they would never be able to accept that. But then, he wasn't asking them to.
Just as selfish as ever. Huh? Xander thought with a smile, not for the first time, though not that he expected Norman could even hear his thoughts. Norm had always been the more superstitious of the two of them. But then, he had always believed in the redeeming power of the Heavenly Principle too. Whichever one of them was right, in the end, he supposed he was destined to find out.
Xander’s ears perked suddenly.
“Stop—!” He shouted.
But it was too late.
By the time he had his longsword halfway drawn from its sheath, the rock beneath his feet had already split into several sections. Rumbling and quaking of stone resounded ferociously, as the walls of the cavern shook. Losing his footing somewhat, Xander rolled forward and repositioned himself, turning to face as the split in the ground continued to swell and break apart.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He scowled, disappointed for letting his own thoughts cloud his senses, but he had to shake that off for the time being.
As glistening light sparkled off the ice veins and rocks throughout the cavern, Xander’s eyes widened as he watched with shock, a large creature beginning to crawl out of the cracked earth. Its insectoid-like body was covered in thick, rocky chitin, and it propped its weight up onto eight, massive legs as it fully found its footing inside the tunnel.
Griping his longsword, Xander swung his blade forward, just in time to parry the long, twisting horn on the creature’s mashed, gray-colored face. Blue energy sparkled from the blade, revealing a hideous face filled with eight, cloudy-grey eyes. Its maw gaped slightly, and several rows of jagged teeth became instantly visible. The creature snarled, its breath hot and acrid, before it lurched back. In the follow-up motion, it twisted itself around and bellowed out a thunderous cry.
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[SAGE ---> System Notification]
> New spawn type [Rock Thrasher] detected.
> Ranking category [C] detected.
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Rock thrasher? C rank? Xander thought with a frightened glance at his sage terminal, disbelieving if not for what he was seeing. His heart was beginning to race, but there was no mistaking what this creature was. Though he had to push the question of what a C-rated spawn was even doing in a D-rated dungeon aside. This thing was dangerous, way more dangerous than anything they’d fought together as a group. Right now, he only had one plan: fight.
A barrage of fire pelted the thrasher suddenly, quickly followed up by a cascade of flashing ice, all of which caused the hulking creature to flail. Its barbed tail flicked every which as it attempted to land a hit, though the yellow flash of Vineta’s barrier magic filled the cavern each time it came to close.
High magic resistance. Xander groaned, realizing what that meant for the kind of energy he was going to have to spend dealing with this thing.
Ducking beneath the swing of the thrasher’s tail, Xander quickly reoirnted himself so that he was now situated between where Bredic and Trelen were standing. Lisel had already found a better vantage point from atop an outcropping of rock, which meant all he needed to worry about was keeping the thrasher in front of him. Since the others had no reliable way to quickly counter a heavy attack beyond the use of barrier magic, there seemed to be little choice but for him to go all-out on the attack.
Easier said than done. Xander thought to himself, a momentary fear that the tunnel was too narrow to achieve that goal. However, he realized that the thrasher wasn’t quick. If anything, it was slower than the stone golems were. What it boasted in strength, it clearly lacked for in speed. That, at least, was something he could work with.
“Alright.” Xander exhaled, “We go again…”
Flourishing his blade, he closed his eyes for a moment and invoked the power of his sword art, willing the weapon to shine brighter. Dark blue folded into forest green, amplifying the blade’s luminosity. As the light settled, he took hold of the grip in both hands and adjusted his footing.
Inhaling a long breath, and then exhaling two quick ones, Xander’s eyes shot open.
The thrasher’s foreleg stomped down, but he was already on the move.
Swiping his blade against the creature several times, he was able to confirm his suspicions that the thrasher’s chitinous layer was resistant to head-on attacks. At the revelation, Xander quickly set himself to weaving in and out between the creature’s legs, carefully examining its underside for any points of weakness. Sure enough, soft tissue weas exposed on the back sides of its legs, and along the joints, as well as up near the plating around its neck.
Just a front, huh? Xander smirked, despite himself, conceding to the point that it was something they had in common, in nothing else.
The length of Xander’s blade cut through the taut skin along the back of one of the thrasher’s middling legs. At this, the thrasher produced a coarse, wailing sound in the back of its throat, as it buckled for an instant. Its foreleg kicked back and knocked Xander over, though he was back upright in the same motion.
Producing two more slashes, Xander’s blade crossed the chitinous plating between the thrasher’s knee, causing it once again to kick its leg. Though this time, Xander swung his blade through the air and parried. The blueish-green glint of his sword art sparked for a second, giving him enough time to backstep three paces and gather his bearings.
“Weak spots!” Xander shouted, jutting left and just narrowly avoiding being crushed by yet another massive foot. Setting himself around and to the front of the creature, he added, “Between the shell plating and on the back of its legs. On each of my attacks, you follow-up!”
It didn’t take too much longer for the others to fall into a pattern of attack that suited requirements.
Using his own speed, Xander cut at the thrasher in opportune places, which lured the creature after him. This in turn exposed its flank, allowing the others to attack precisely where he marked with sword. Little by little, the dark ichor of its blood began to spill across the cavern floor from its open wounds. And sure enough, the rock thrasher was slowing.
But so was Xander.
His stamina was getting lower, and a small lapse in concentration caused him to miscalculate his movements. In the blink of an eye, he felt the weight of the thrasher’s barbed tail strike him head-on in the chest.
Weightless, Xander hurdled through the air. He hit the wall of the tunnel with force, dropping his sword in the process. Clambering across the stone, Xander shuttered, but there wasn’t much time to think about his pain, because the thrasher was right on top of him now.
The thrasher’s maw opened wide, and with a croaky snarl it wrenched its neck downward.
Without even thinking, Xander thrust his arm out in front of him. But before he even had the chance to act on his instincts, a yellow flash of light bloomed in front of him.
The thrasher’s head ricocheted off the familiar sight of a barrier spell, and without second guessing himself, Xander reached for the blade by his side. Grasping it in one hand, he leaned forward. As the barrier magic dissipated, he reached across and took hold of one of the thrasher’s teeth, using it to propel his body. In the same motion, his sword thrust upward too, up through the soft palate of the creature’s mouth.
It wailed, hissing and croaking. Xander ripped the sword from its mouth, and the thrasher stumbled backward, until it fell to the cavern floor, dead.
The dungeon fell quiet momentarily, before the sounds of his companions’ voices filled the area once again.
But they were muffled, lost in his wandering mind. Xander stretched his arm and worked his way back up onto his feet. His arm and face were covered in saliva and monstrous blood, but he slowly walked over to the thrasher’s body and began to work the energy crystal out of it. It came loose in a matter of seconds, and he took the dark green shard into his hand.
Xander’s brow wrinkled curiously.
This was proof that things were changing for the worse, and if that was the case then they could expect even more resistance moving forward. Core volatility was higher than it had been lately, which meant they had to be getting close to the end of the second floor—had to be. With that thought in mind, Xander shifted his attention and looked towards the others.
“Come on.” He said sternly, gesturing ahead, “Let’s keep going.”
He needed sleep. But the sooner they found that boss lair, the sooner he could get on with his plan, and the sooner all this would be over.
At least, he was counting on it.