The third of the damned minions finally went down, spiraling to the ground in a smoking heap. Jane internally celebrated in success but outwardly was looking for her next target. These enemies were far, far tougher than the ones in the other mask rooms. Was it because it was a room in the sixth floor? Or maybe because it was the final mask boss and the difficulty suddenly spiked? Jane wanted to lean towards the former but honestly didn’t know. Which was infuriating. And not completely relevant.
The four of them were struggling and she needed to focus.
Both Landon and Corbyn were dealing with the bird boss, who was actually fighting them instead of standing back for the minions to attack first. That in itself was strange as the other trials had the bosses wait first. Maybe Alistair was testing them to see if they were actually worthy of owning all four of the masks. If they weren’t, they’d die here. She had a strong feeling Landon wasn’t just going to leave. If they were worthy, though, they’d be successful and finally have the masks they were hoping to obtain for weeks.
Both of the thoughts were frightening. Nearly as frightening as the current enemies Jane was trying to kill.
Weaving her arm and hand with her rod to cast another spell, she stood alongside Octavius while trying to manage two more of the five total bird minions. Vi was doing a great job both distracting and supporting when possible, though he using far too much mana when he needed to save it for healing. Jane knew he’d be needing it, especially after he already had to intervene on a particularly nasty hit Landon took from the boss. The four of them had breached the seventh floor, but haven’t completed it yet. This felt just as strong, if not stronger.
But it was a challenge, and Jane loved challenges like her brother. His approach to them was a bit more upfront than hers, while she appreciated a more tactful strategy. Unfortunately that was most thrown out the window when facing such strong opponents, but she was doing her best.
Her spell formed into a rolling static swirl in her free hand and she launched it at the closest bird monster. It was called Arcane Paralysis, and worked similar to Lightning-focused mages. The ball smashed into the monster’s side and engulfed it like an aura surrounding its body, but instead of a magical layer it was thousands upon thousands of tiny shocks that rapidly moved over its body. The monster looked like it turned purple from the magic encompassing it, and it was frozen in place while the magic took hold.
A second monster moved beside it and the static jumped onto its body, similarly seizing it in place. Jane smiled seeing her intention take hold, but her smile quickly turned sour as she realized both monsters started to move despite the effect on their bodies. It was a strong spell, but each time it jumped to another being the original effect was weakened, as it only had a set amount of energy at the start that was shared to others. On lesser monsters it could hold about three or four of them easily before they started to resist the effects, but these clearly weren’t lesser monsters. They began moving towards her with a slowly increasing speed, lumbering as though they were walking underwater.
She mentally cursed their luck as she started an attacking spell. Restraining some of them while focusing on attacking others wasn’t going to completely work on them. That meant valuable resources like mana and time were going to be spent while they tried to clear out the room.
A flash of white appeared at her side and Jane jerked her head to see another bird minion with its winged arm pointing at her. An arrow black as night was on the ground beside her, and she knew Octavius put up a quick barrier to block the arrow from hitting her. She never even saw the damned thing. Their dark feathery bodies blended into the dim background far too well, and they were fast. And outnumbered.
If they made it out, she was going to buy him a drink. Maybe even two.
“Thanks,” Jane said, repositioning herself to prevent another sneaky arrow from hitting her. “There are too damn many to deal with on my own!”
“They can barely handle the boss,” Octavius said, pointing his staff at a group of minions and causing a flash of light to temporarily blind them. He wasn’t entirely sure if it would work or not, but he desperately wanted to buy some time. “If one of them pulls away, the other will go down!”
“Fuck.” Jane knew they were in a nearly impossible spot. She didn’t need to hear what Vi was going to finish saying. If she were to go and help them take down the boss, then the minions would pick them apart from the sides. And if they focused on the minions, then the boss would equally tear them apart.
This was not looking good. Still, she wasn’t about to give up. That was not who she was is. Her and her brother had that in common.
Redoubling her focus on the minions, she readied another spell. She was ready to kill something.
*****
Corbyn stumbled back after blocking another magical hit from the bird-like boss. “Godsdamnit!”
“Get your damn act together!” Landon barked, ducking an errant bolt.
Corbyn growled, equally at Landon and their opponent. The monster was annoying but having Landon revert back to his asshole self was making matters worse. They had made such progress since the last mask room that Corbyn believed the man had finally learned.
He was, unfortunately, wrong. Just like his sister loved to point out.
Readying his hammer, he jumped forward and slammed into the masked monster again, once more hitting a magical barrier. A crack formed under his blow and he smiled in victory. They had a long way to go, but that was a huge step in their success.
The boss was far more annoying than the previous bosses. It was the only one who could actually fly, which put both of the melee Climbers in a serious disadvantage. He’d prefer to have Jane deal with it matching it in ranged combat, but it also had the ability to fly in close and attack with a strange weapon Corbyn had never seen before. It was like a metal claw that extended from its three fingered hand, possessing three slender but sharp blades all having a slightly hooked end. They were a perversion of actual weapons, though unfortunately the damned thing fought with it like a demon. It didn’t help that it also used magic incredibly well, both offensively and defensively.
Corbyn just wanted to smash things. Why did everything have to be so complicated?
After the barrier cracked, the boss cawed in surprise like an actual damn bird and leapt back far out of reach. Just like it had done before. Corbyn knew what was next.
“Octavius!” Landon yelled, one step ahead of the Barbarian.
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Landon was faster, but Corbyn tried to cut the distance to the boss in one powerful leap. He knew that once it landed, it would immediately start a magical attack that was very hard to avoid or defend against. He desperately hoped it would run out of mana soon, or they’d be dead from a couple more hits by it. Or one really well placed hit.
A thick layer of aura surrounded Corbyn and Landon after the boss landed but before its attack was ready. Octavius needed to be within a certain distance for his protective aura to coat them, but in their small space they had plenty of room. Both he and Landon weren’t going to make the same mistake again of waiting for the protective spell to surround them before engaging with the boss.
Meeting the boss face to face, Corbyn had his hammer up and ready to swing with a vengeful fury. Just as he started to bring it down, though, a terrible cry of pain caused him to completely lose his focus, and his hammer swung off course. Instead of hitting the monster in the chest it missed and hit its left arm, crumpling it. He ignored Landon’s attack as he desperately looked behind him.
He recognized that pained cry. That wasn’t some monster. That was his sister.
Looking back, he saw one of the bird minions ripping her stomach open with its claws like an animal would its prey. He watched in horror as her blood sprayed in all directions, and she fell to the ground with the monster on top of her. Octavius was there, then, and smacked the monster with his staff and knocked it to the side. He immediately began healing Jane but Corbyn couldn’t tell how bad she was injured. And he saw that the minion was about to turn on Octavius, who was Jane’s only hope at surviving.
“Fucking help me!” Landon yelled, slashing the boss a third time. The boss monster fell backwards from Landon’s whirling attack, injured but still alive. “This is our chance!”
Corbyn wanted to scream. Landon was blinded by his own greed. This was his chance, but at what cost? Corbyn sure as shit wasn’t about to sacrifice his own sister for something they agreed to leave behind. He had thought Landon left his desire to pursue the masks behind, but obviously that wasn't true. He clearly just hid it well.
In moments Corbyn realized what he still had in his backpack and a plan formed in his mind. It was beyond risky. Stupid, even. But his sister was on the verge of death, Octavius was about to be overrun, and he had an opportunity to save both of them. Though he would never hear the end of it from Jane. Of how dangerous it was to wear it, of him being an idiot to put it on without more discussion. He didn’t care about that, though. Her yelling only meant she would be alive. And he’d much rather be chewed out by his sister than not hear her voice at all.
Landon be damned. He could face the boss on his own.
Corbyn dropped his shield and hammer to the ground and pulled off his backpack, his hands working as fast as possible. It didn’t take long to find what he was looking for. He pulled it out and held it for only a moment longer, staring into the wooden face in a desperate plea.
The bull mask stared back at home, and in that moment Corbyn's attention was solely rested on the strange and alluring wooden item he held. Something tugged at the back of his mind. Some force that fueled his drive. His wildness. His rage.
He wanted the strength to keep his sister alive. No - he wanted the power.
Placing the bull mask onto his face, Corbyn felt a jolt of magic rush through his body. The sensation felt like he was struck by lightning, paralyzed and unable to move. But instead of pain, the feeling was energy. Power flooded his entire being. Strength coursed through him. His skin prickled as it grew dense and tough.
But a hunger also radiated deep in his sense of self. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It wasn’t a hunger for food, or a desire for sleep or some object. It was a sort of primal feeling of necessity. He didn’t just want to take the life of the monsters threatening his friends. He wanted to consume them.
Corbyn picked up his hammer and left his shield. He wouldn’t need it. Barreling towards Jane and Vi, each step felt like he was leaping as a new strength in his legs carried him forward several feet at a time. In seconds he was where he wanted to be, directly in the midst of the minions trying to kill the others. A single swipe of his hammer connected with the closest monster, and despite it blocking the attack with crossed arms it was still knocked back several feet onto the ground.
A faint sensation crossed his back, though it wasn’t completely pain. It felt more like brushing against a branch when walking through a dense forest. Then he felt it again. Turning around, Corbyn saw one of the bird monsters slashing at him with a clawed hand. He didn’t bother blocking or avoiding it. It swept across his chest without even drawing blood. A smile crossed his face though he doubted the monster could see it since he was wearing the bull mask. The monster attacked again, then again, but Corbyn didn’t bother moving.
Just how strong did the mask make him?
On the third hit, something akin to pain finally crossed his body. The monster’s claws were slightly bloody, though it was more of a graze than an actual wound. But a deep red and black aura began swirling around Corbyn. It was his Fury skill that activated when he was injured. But this was far more effective, and activated with far less injury needed. The magic was thick, coating his body from head to toe while also seemingly permeating his skin and muscles.
He didn’t just feel stronger. He felt unstoppable. Like a beast charging forward unrestrained.
Feeling rage brimming with him, Corbyn brought his hammer down on the monster. The bird crumpled onto the ground, its head and torso caved in from the hit. It then evaporated into nothing, not even bothering to slowly dissipate like most monsters when they died.
Corbyn looked back at a bright light to see Octavius holding his staff at him, pointing it as though he was prepared to unleash a spell. The Cleric had fear in his eyes, but he started to relax when he realized who it was.
“Corbyn?” Octavius asked.
“Heal her,” Corbyn said, his voice muffled but deeper than before. It was distorted, strange. “Make sure she lives.”
Octavius’s face returned to showing fear. He swallowed hard and moved to Jane. She lay still on the ground, unmoving. Her stomach wasn’t pouring blood anymore, but there were still gashes all over her. A healing light emitted from Octavius’s staff as Corbyn watched his sister’s body slowly knit back together. Color returned to her skin, and he saw her chest slowly began to rise and fall.
Good. She was breathing. She could rest, now. Though he had much more work to do.
*****
Jane woke to a dim room. She felt sore and tired, but hardly any pain. Raising her hands, she saw they were bloody but complete.
Octavius wasn’t just going to get a drink from her. He was going to get an entire carton of whatever he wanted.
Smiling at being alive, she felt her stomach as she sat up. It didn’t hurt, thank the gods. She was a bloody mess, but she was whole. The man must have spent an entire pool of mana to just heal her.
She shivered thinking about the feeling of being flayed alive by those damned monsters. That was something she never wanted to experience again. No matter the cost, she wanted to find something to protect her body far better next time.
Looking around, she spotted a few lights hovering in the air that lit their portion of the boss room. Octavius was beside her, leaning against the wall resting. Landon was across the room standing next to a figure that towered over him.
Shooting up, she started to prepare a spell. Octavius wasn’t sleeping. He had died. Now Landon was about to die from some new monster, some new threat they didn’t anticipate.
“Jane,” Octavius said. “What are you doing?”
Jane turned to see the Cleric standing beside her with a hand on her shoulder. He looked exhausted but very much alive. She looked back to Landon and saw he wasn’t fighting. He was just standing around. The figure he stood beside couldn’t be Corbyn. He was too big. Too wide.
“What’s going on?” Jane asked.
Landon and the other person turned to her. Landon said something she didn’t hear before trotting over. “Good to see you up. You passed out there for a bit. Octavius ran through a spare mana potion and even poured one over your stomach to get you healed.”
“No wonder I’m in such good shape. Thank you, Vi.”
Octavius smiled sheepishly, but glanced over to the other person in the room. Jane did the same.
“It’s alright,” Landon said. “It’s Corbyn.”
Jane felt panic rise inside her. “That’s Corbyn? It doesn’t look anything like him!”
The person - Corbyn - started to walk over. He was now even more of a mountain of a man than before, easily a half foot taller and seemingly gained an impossible amount of muscle mass instantly. But as he walked closer, the most noticeable thing about him was that he was wearing the wooden bull mask. Small wooden horns jutted from the top slightly up and forward, and the nose was rectangular and long like a bull’s. She originally thought it looked silly but seeing it now she knew better. It looked menacing. And he looked like an actual bull.
Worst of all, she knew it was a cursed item like the others. What would happen to them now? What would happen to him?
“I’m sorry,” Corbyn said. His voice was muffled from the mask and deep, like he was trying to be intimidating. Though he didn’t need to try.
“Are you alright?” Jane asked. She put a hand on her brother’s shoulder. It felt rough, like leather. It only looked like skin, and even that was a generous description.
“I feel… different. But strong. Very strong.”
Landon laughed beside them. “Isn’t it amazing? You should have seen him! He was an absolute terror!”
“Still is,” Octavius said. “No offense.”
Corbyn shrugged and chuckled. It sounded like a demon bellowing.
“I don’t like it,” Jane said. “I’m sorry, Cor, but you look terrifying. And the enemies are dead, now. Thank you for saving me, but can you please take it off?”
Landon dropped his smile and shared a look with Octavius. The Cleric averted his gaze.
“What?” Jane asked.
“There’s a problem,” Corbyn said. “I’ve tried. But I can’t take it off.”