The next day I walked outside to find Milo still practicing his swordplay. He was slashing and piercing imaginary enemies. The Horde stood nearby at attention, decked out in armor and weapons, I figured Milo had taken them last night to his old mausoleum to get outfitted with better gear. Now all of them were wearing better armor. I also saw that the big guy was sporting a bastard sword as well. Milo had done a fine job of outfitting everyone while I slept.
“Milo nice job getting everyone armor and weapons, I applaud your resourcefulness.”
“Thank you, My Lord, your praise is wasted on this one. I have only done what one would expect of their commander. Plus how could I lead my troops into battle without the proper equipment?”
“Fair enough. By the way, have you seen Vaeda anywhere? I couldn’t find him when I woke up”.
“Oh, he said he went out to fetch something for you to eat.”
Vaeda returned and I started cooking food for him and I. After eating and having a full stomach I told the two of them what I was thinking.
“I want to challenge the mini-boss today. I know you might be thinking we’re not ready, but I need this you two. I need to kill him and soon or my fear might end up consuming me. It was my first defeat since the apocalypse started and I need to rectify that. Also that bastard cut my arm off and I need to repay him for it.”
“Relax Greg, you’re in charge buddy. If you think we’re ready then I support you.” Vaeda said.
“Agreed, I would follow you into any battle no matter the danger My Lord. I shall lead your troops to victory” said Milo.
The next day, Milo and I were staring at my troops and I had a smile on my face. Milo had gone back to his mausoleum and gathered some shields and the best armor he could find for The Horde. He also had gotten a better-looking sword from his fights against the Draugr to give to the big guy. The best armor Milo saved for him and I. We were wearing those and putting the final touches on the battle plan Milo had cooked up. To start we would have The Horde arranged into two lines. The first line would be a shield wall and have maces, while the second line would be using long swords to poke at the boss from behind the shields of their allies. Behind them would stand Milo and the big guy ready to take on the zombie knight if he got through The Horde. Finally behind all of them would be me in the back. I would be firing my new and improved Frost Shards at the boss whenever possible and hoping that the Gods of RNG would bless me with some freezes. Vaeda would be constantly harassing the mini-boss whenever possible and distracting it.
We arrived and got ready to head inside. Milo then sent the Telepathic Commands to the troops about what to do. It was pretty cool that he could send out commands without ever uttering a word. It would have made us quite stealthy if it hadn’t been for the fact that the big guy was made of stone and stomping the ground as he walked. Also, the clicking and clacking of the bones of my minions weren't helping either. Nonetheless, we marched on back into the place where everything had gone so terribly wrong. Once again sitting upon the throne was the zombie knight. I looked around the room checking for other undead and found none. It looks like he wouldn’t be calling for reinforcements. As my gaze swept the room I saw my arm on the floor looking rotten and slightly decomposed in a pool of my blood.
Gross. Oh well, time to kill this fucker and get my revenge.
He stood up from his throne and spoke in his gravelly voice.
“Foolish one why have you returned? Are you so desperate for death that you have come back?”
I tried to think of something clever to say back about this time was different but right now I was so mad about losing my arm that all that came out was...
“Fuck you, prepare to die”
With that, everyone got into formation and we prepared to fight him. He picked up his sword and shield and started slowly walking towards us menacingly. I waited and waited till he was within my acceptable shooting range and fired a Frost Shard right at him. He lifted up his shield and tried to block my projectile but this time was different. The shard pierced straight through his shield and then went through his armor and got lodged somewhere in his chest. He roared at us and began to run now.
“Damn he looks pissed, Milo will the shieldwall hold?” I asked semi-nervously.
“Yes My Lord, I have been practicing it with The Horde and although they are mindless they do know how to follow directions.”
“Okay if you say so. Frost Shard!”
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
The next Frost Shard I fire goes past his shield and hits him in his grieves and the freeze activates. He immediately slams his foot down and continues on barreling into the shieldwall with the force of a small car. Surprisingly the wall holds and then he rears back getting ready to attack with his sword. That’s when Vaeda swoops in and makes him lose focus for just a moment. Enough time for The Horde to stab forward with their swords and smash him with their maces. They start pressuring him and he’s now retreating backward with his shield up.
Little good that’ll do.
I fire another Frost Shard at him and it does its job once again. It goes right through the shield and now the shield has two holes in it and he has three shards in his body. The freezing effect is starting to wear him down and he is visibly slower than he was before. He then activates the skill from last time and his bones grow dark grey.
“Alright let’s finish this, you guys. Big guy attack him now.”
The big guy charges forward around the left side of the shieldwall and runs towards him. He swings his sword low and manages to hit the mini-boss in his side. The sword lodges itself in his armored side and the big guy’s weapon is now stuck. I fire a Frost Shard at the mini-boss pulling his attention to me then Milo commands The Horde to surround him. Once surrounded the big guy backs off a bit and The Horde starts peppering him with slashes and mace hits. Milo is expertly commanding them all while standing next to me unmoving and keeping silent. The knight stabs forward with his sword and it stabs straight through one of my minion’s shields. Milo orders that undead to shuffles away pulling the sword with it. The mini-boss is now left with only his shield. I continue lobbing Frost Shards at him and he's forced to either tank the hit or attempt to block it and he chooses the latter. Eventually, he discards the shield as it has too many holes in it. Looks like this fight is almost over.
“Do you surrender? You’re surrounded and outnumbered.”
“NEVER mortal. I may be undead but I have my pride as a warrior. I shall never give in.” he responds.
“Alright good. I was hoping you’d say that.” I say with a smile.
I slowly walk over despite Milo and Vaeda’s protests. I order the big guy to rough him up a bit and force him to the ground. He complies with my wishes and eventually then Knight is forced to his knees. I have Milo open the ring of the undead around him. The Knight looks up at me with the same burning blue firey eyes that all of the Lich’s army has. I invite Milo over and ask him to do me a favor.
“Milo, can you do me a favor?”
“Yes My Lord, anything you wish.”
“Cut off his right arm please.”
Without missing a beat Milo swings down with his sword and slices into the arm of the Knight. He howls out in pain as the sword lodges deep into the arm. I fire a Frost Shard at the point where the sword meets his flesh and it fires straight through the other side. Milo pulls his sword out and swings down again this time fully cleaving off his arm. He really screams out this time.
Weird, I didn’t think undead could feel. Is it because he’s a zombie and not a pure skeleton? Or maybe only sentient creatures feel pain and regular mob undead don’t? Hmmm well, whatever.
“Okay, now we’re even. You cut off my arm, so I cut off yours.”
“Even? You’ll let me live just like that? After what I did to you?” He asks.
“I said we’re even I didn’t say I was done.”
I put my left hand right at the front of his helmet and fire a Frost Shard right between his eyes. It shoots through and out the back bringing fleshy bits with it. Metal shrapnel and flesh line the floor behind him as his body hits the floor and I’m greeted with the sweet, sweet blue box.
Congratulations to host for defeating LVL 43 Mini-Boss: Xeaos-Death Knight
Experience awarded
LVL UP
LVL UP
LVL UP
LVL UP
For defeating an enemy at least 10 levels higher than host bonus experience awarded
LVL UP
Sentient Soul detected
Minor Soul absorbed (x1)
Sentient Soul absorbed (x1)
15 Stat points available for allocation