Season 2: Chapter 39: NOPE!
The Gorgonus-Hydra. A six-headed monster whose heads comprised of massive mouths that formed eyeballs when closed.
A mythical creature, one that I'd only heard of in rumors. Talltales from old mercenaries and rumor-mills.
Similar to a gazer or an evil eye, the gorgonus possessed the ability to petrify, except instead of one eye capable of turning anything to stone, there were six of them connected to sharp teeth that let out a visceral shriek.
Haha.
Run.
On command my army turned and fled, but not before having Zorin grab a certain felinonid frozen in place.
Behind me I could feel a gathering of energy, a powerful influx of mana as the gorgonus shut its mouths and activated its gaze.
Ah… quacks.
This was it. I had messed up and now I would be yet another statue in this monster’s garden.
Maybe I should have Slimey strike a pose? Wouldn't that be funny.
Would I dream? Would I retain my thoughts as I remained petrified?
Hmm. Actually, when I thought about it not much would change considering I already couldn't move.
I probably wouldn't be able to squeak but I could probably still give commands.
Then it happened, the earth vibrating from the force of the monster moving. The gorgonus shut its maw, its eyes targeting Zorin who brought up our rear and hitting her crystal body fully with all six eyes.
Zorin! NO! NOOOOOOOOoooooo?
A twist of fate, instead of Zorin being turned into stone she merely stood there, looking up at the monster that was frozen in place.
Huh?
The gorgonus… IT HAD BEEN TURNED TO STONE!
Ha!AHhaahahahahaha!
I let out a squeak, pinging the area as the dryad dismounted it's petrified snake and took off in a panic, its trump card defeated on a stroke of bad luck.
Get her!
Buttstalion took off, my army racing through the garden of statues after the fleeing monster.
Several unicorns with bulbous growths came out, charred survivors from Chloe's explosion that attempted to intercept us, but Slimey wasn't having it.
Shifting her body, Slimey leapt off Buttstalion and expanded itself, slamming down on the unicorns as they charged.
Immediately they were engulfed, the massive slime showcasing her true size and enveloping the horde attempting to gallop and cast spells.
A simple electric discharge put an end to their struggles.
Fortunately I was unaffected by the lightning, but just in case Slimey had tossed me into the air, my body rotating before landing back on the slime.
Go! Don't let it escape!
Slimey reformed her shape, latching on to Buttstalion as Zorin threw the frozen Alexios at the dryad.
WAIT! NO!
ZORIN YOU IDIOT!
The catboy statue flew, striking the green creature on the back of the head.
Thankfully Slimey's goopy body shot out tendrils, catching the statue just as it was about to strike the ground.
Ah! Slimey! You're the best! You're actually the best! I sent, the slime turning bright pink and melting.
NO WAIT! STOP! DON'T MELT! DON'T MELT!!!
Fortunately Slimey managed to resume her blob form, pulling in the statue that she absorbed into her body.
As for the dryad, it was laying on the floor, crawling away with golden ichor leaking from its head.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Slimey reached out, multiple tentacles latching onto the green humanoid attempting to flee, the dryad flailing in futility as Slimey held her aloft.
Hmmm. I think I've seen this hentai.
A quick electrocution stilled the dryad’s movements, allowing the guardian to be captured by Slimey.
With the last resistance of the dungeon snuffed out, I summoned Ayaka's phase spider, the creature taking with it Alexio and the dryad.
I pinged Alexio as the phase spider crawled on it. This… this teen was proof of my past. If there was a way to cure him, to save him, then I would need to do so.
Alexios hadn't been part of the assault force but rather our support team. A dedicated group that focused on our logistics and upkeep. If he was here, then it was only natural that the support group had been decimated as well.
Still, that was only speculation.
The real answers lay in the mind of Alexios… if he had a mind left. Oddly, the thought of unfreezing the felinonid gave me comfort, the thought that I wasn't alone in this cycle of torment…
Just wait my comrade.
The spider teleported out, leaving me with an odd feeling in my core. Still, there was work to be done. Always more work.
A dungeon core waiting to be absorbed by Slimey for new abilities.
Marching unopposed, I took in the surroundings of the stone garden, seeing, hoping, almost praying to find another comrade of mine.
Nothing. None of the humanoids I found bearing any semblance to anyone I knew. A jarring experience, but it was what it was. There were quite a number of monsters though, some that were much higher tier than I'd come across in this rubber life like a wyvern, a minotaur, and a oddly, and perhaps more surprising, a demon.
She was almost six feet tall, oddly familiar looking with her curved horns and scowl. Her body adorned with jewelry that made her resemble a noblewoman.
A sudden urge began to well up inside, anger, hatred.
Without waiting for my command Slimey shot her hand out, tipping over the statue and shattering it against the cavern floor.
Ah. Much better.
Moving through the remaining garden, it wasn't long before my army made it to the encrusted dungeon heart, the large pool of mana pulsing rapidly as we neared.
At its side, the core of the dungeon was wrapped around a large in-human weapon.
I pinged the weapon, the item immediately recognizable in my mind.
Sjúrður.
The Dragon Slayer. A two-handed black blade that sat dug into the ground.
Slimey and I approached the core, the orb manifesting energy with the weapon shaking, rising from the ground.
I attempted to reach out, more of a gesture of my humanity I guess and try to offer the core to surrender.
Instead what I was met with was the same feeling I felt with all other cores, a cold indifference. No sign of sentience.
The orb shuddered, rising up, the Dragon Slayer almost as beautiful as I remembered it in battlem
A last defense no doubt. Futile if any-
Slimey was suddenly beheaded, the weapon cutting her head off and nearly bisecting Zorin if not for the croc deflecting the blade using her claws.
AW QUACKS!
The greatsword flew into the air, picking up speed and boomeranging back around.
Zorin! The Croco-girl shifted, moving to intercept, this time putting her two arms together to catch the blade with her flesh.
NO WAIT!
I activated Water Jet, blasting Zorin's legs out from under her with a stream of black water just as the Sjúrður cut off her hands.
The blade continued to fly, Zorin letting out a scream as I racked my mind on how to stop the weapon coming back around.
Blast it! I ordered, my slimes unlatching from their skeleton mounts and firing at the legendary weapon.
Buttstalion! Heal Zorin! Slimey! Full salvo!!!
The room began to coat with slime, hundreds of bolts flying into the air and striking the weapon that didn't slow down.
AHHHHHHH! How the heck do I stop it?!
Suddenly the weapon changed course, aiming in my direction!
Aim for the core! Aim for the core!
The weapon hit me on the head, bouncing off with a clang, my slash resistance holding up but not before knicking my head.
Ow?!
“MY LORD!!!” Slimey screamed, her body spreading out and unloading a massive barrage at the blade.
Knock it down! I ordered, my spiders joining in the assault to pile onto the weapon.
AHHH IT'S COMING BACK AROUND!
Suddenly Zorin leaped off the ground, intercepting the blade’s handle with her mouth.
The gator-girl hit the ground, her bloodied stumps digging into the earth as she savagely banged the weapon against the cavern floor.
NOW! HIT IT!
My entire army opened fire, webs and slime, the entire barrage binding the weapon to the floor to kill its momentum.
Target the core!
Zorin unlatched from the weapon, unleashing a roar before biting down on the core.
Oddly, her teeth only managed to scrape the orb, the Dungeon Core being significantly stronger than I’d thought it’d be.
The Sjúrður began to wiggle violently, the core attempting to lift the blade once more.
Ah. Wait.
Ayaka!
“Yes my Lord?”
PREPARE FOR A GUEST!
I reached out, the spider Matriarch sending her phase spider over to me that latched on to the blade.
BYE BYE!
The spider took the core and weapon away, bringing it back to the one thing that possessed enough power to take it out.
With the weapon away, it was time to destroy the heart and put an end to this fiasco.
Together with my army, I fired bolt after bolt at the enemy heart, breaking the chitinous shell that surrounded it to expose the pulsating mana below.
Before long, the beating heart stopped beating, the sphere deflating and striking the ground with a loud thud.
A stillness struck the air, a tangible shift in the cavern as the territory became ungoverned.
Hmmm. I wonder. My attention settled on the deflated heart on the floor, a number of crystals on the ground.
A mischievous feeling nestled in my core.
It was time to engage in the time honored tradition of all adventurers.
Looting!