It might sound arrogant, but I felt more confident about fighting the [Dark Naga] than I did about fighting its Servants.
My strength was single-target damage, thus, facing a massive beast that was virtually one big target couldn’t be too hard.
As I would quickly find out, I was wrong.
Claire and I worked in unison, rushing in at precisely the right time for her to Stun the boss and for me to jab it. It had worked for us all day, and although the status effect didn’t last as long against such a high-level monster, it still earned me a glancing shot.
{The Glass Cannon} lanced into a chink in the beast’s dense scales, lodging in so far that the hardest part of it all was pulling it back out. I was perpetually worried about the glass shaft shattering, but right now, that was the least of my worries.
The bigger concern was that my hit did absolutely nothing.
Not a single complaint from the giant snake whose house we were invading.
For my troubles, I earned a tail-slap to my entire body that sent me sprawling and sliding across the uneven bricks like a roast chicken on a slip’n’slide.
Once I came to a stop, I brushed myself off and hopped up. Claire offered me a second vial of the raspberry-cola health boost, but I declined.
No pain this time. Just a warning shot, like the thing was toying with me.
I had to hit the Naga somewhere more sensitive. I’d made a serious mistake with {The Glass Cannon} by assuming that all my opponent’s weak spots would be accessible from ground level. Unfortunately, unless I became an Olympian, most of my opponents would be monsters.
The funny thing about monsters is that they are under no obligations to be human-sized.
Cruel, right?
So, we were back to the drawing board. Claire and I, scrawling out a plan whilst a hundred-foot, hundred-ton python slithered around, goading us into an attack.
“Jump on its back?” Claire suggested.
“Maybe I did hit it correctly, but it just has a lot of HP?” I shot back. If that were the truth, and its HP really was monumental, I’d probably prefer Claire’s serpent-rodeo. It might go wrong and put us out of our misery faster.
“Wait, you said your javelin can stun, right?”
“Yep! What’s your plan?”
She nocked an arrow and shot it off high above us, aiming for the head.
“Throw it at the thing when I tell you!”
With that, she darted around the opposite side, laying into the Naga with arrow after arrow. Pretty soon, she’d be out. Her quiver’s capacity was magically enhanced, but not that magically enhanced.
I set about meeting her in the middle, trying to keep in throwing range of the head. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d only had one success in my javelin throwing career.
A flickering tail almost took out my stomach, forcing me to [Dash] backwards. I always felt vulnerable after using my [Dash], knowing that for the next two-minutes, all I could rely on was my instincts, reaction time, and my superhuman Agility.
It wouldn’t hold a light to Mom’s [Swashbuckler], but I was getting speedy.
Claire pricked our foe like a pincushion, shooting off enough arrows that its chin looked like it had grown a stubbly beard. Finally showing annoyance, the beast brought its head down hard, aiming to crush Claire.
She leapt out of the way, preparing a Stun arrow.
“Now!” she yelled.
The boss was a reasonable distance away. Esko’s guidelines appeared in my head, showing me my run up. I knew how far to go, and when to let go.
I could do it.
My javelin didn’t catch as I pulled it over my shoulder. I checked that the pointy end was where it should be, then sprinted to the imaginary line. I chucked the thing, feeling my body curl over in what had to be at least a decent throw.
[Arc Strike]
It made contact on the Naga’s left cheek, and I rushed in, aiming my spear at its eye.
Everything has a weak spot in its eyes, except bats.
And spiders, maybe. They’ve got options.
“[Dash!] [Spear Charge!]”
My spear ran true, and the effect was instantaneous. The [Dark Naga] changed form, its skin cracking and the scales becoming loose and haggard, like I’d skipped over a significant portion of the boss’s health. The deterioration was probably supposed to be gradual, but {The Glass Cannon} didn’t do gradual. Nuh-uh.
It was severely injured, but not dead. The first opponent to withstand a hit from my new spear, and it was a Level 80 boss-monster. Compared to my {Redwood Spear} struggling against a Level 4 [Goblin], I was impressed.
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“Yes, Ollie! Go mental on its ass!”
I jabbed again, but with less force and a stance Esko would reprimand me for. The beast withdrew, despite Claire’s best efforts to keep it stunned. If it escaped into a crevice now, we wouldn’t get our EXP.
Luckily there weren’t many three-lane tunnels around that could fit such a thing.
We made chase, watching for the tail that was liable to flicker across at any moment and take us out. My [Arc Strike] was on cooldown, but it was short. I’d be able to pin down the oversized noodle again in no time.
The inner sanctum was wet, and purple sap stuck to me with each step. A noxious scent polluted the air, like none of the snakes had moved in centuries. Sure enough, there were solid bricks of snakeskin lodged up against the wall, testament to the sheer number of monsters holed up in there.
The [Dark Naga] lay in a bundle at the back of the lair, curled up to protect itself. If it hadn’t sent out four hundred of its assassins only moments before, I might’ve found it cute and taken pity on it.
Unfortunately, now that we were here, the only way we were getting out was by defeating the boss or dying, and I knew which one I preferred.
Claire pushed forward, not bothering to enlighten me with her plan. I assumed a similar concept to before, but the Naga wouldn’t play ball. Claire peppered it with arrows until she was empty, but it sat still, confident in its cocoon defence.
The things I’d do for {The Sentinel Spear} right now.
I could’ve trotted up to the thing, poked it a few times and called it a day. But I had to make life difficult for myself instead.
A fleeting idea crossed my mind, something that would either work beautifully, or fail horribly.
“Claire! Can you get its attention? Do something like before, I’ve got a plan!”
“I got no arrows, dummy!”
“Throw your dagger or something!”
She grumbled something about where she’d like to stick her dagger. I snuck around the rear of the Naga, using the shadows of the lair and the mountain of snakeskins as my cover.
I steered clear of the swishing tail, selecting an entry point slightly further along.
It was time to climb a Level 80 [Dark Naga].
What could go wrong?
The mangled scales from my first hit were useful handholds, allowing me to haul my way up to the first section of the monster. It didn’t notice the intrusion. It shifted its weight, causing a deep rumble somewhere in the cavern.
I used [Dash] to keep myself steady on the rolling, tumbling mass. The head wasn’t far, but the verticality made it difficult. With only a few ‘tiers’ left to go, I had to come up with an idea quick.
My catalogue of abilities flashed through my head. Aside from [Dash], none of them would be useful. I checked my Stats screen, but none of the skill offerings there made sense to me. Plus, it was hard to concentrate on anything else when the living floor beneath me swayed more than a sailor at the pub.
Claire yelled out, but I couldn’t hear her properly. The head was so close that I could smell its poisonous breath leaking out in haggard gasps. That first strike had really hurt it, so I had to hope that this one would work just as well.
It was difficult to grip the scales with my right hand whilst holding a spear, but I managed to fight my way up to the part I’d call its neck.
I’d argue that the snake was really just a head and a tail, but that’s a discussion for another day.
I could go unnoticed no longer. I hadn’t bothered the Naga when I’d climbed its well-armoured body, but now I was nearing its face.
[Arc Strike]
Stunning the beast was my best opportunity to make a clean journey to its head. The Stun lasted a bit longer now, evidence that the Naga was weakened. I leapt, pulling my way up the scales, scrabbling for purchase.
When it came out of the Stun, I had only one opportunity. Instantly, its giant head swayed, catapulting me forward to the bridge of its flattened nose.
My one opportunity had arrived.
[Spear Charge]
I pushed my spear down with all my might, missing the eye but piercing the soft flesh around it. The Naga screeched, a noise I didn’t think it capable of, and we plummeted.
Destroyed, rotting scales floated around me as we fell. The Naga’s body twitched and thrashed in its death throes, and I saw Claire take a nasty hit that sent her crashing into a wall. I braced for impact, not expecting to survive.
The snakeskins saved me. A large mound of the cracked, brittle skins broke my fall, instantly sending up a cloud of ancient bits that filled my mouth and caught in my eyelashes.
{You have defeated a Level 80 Dark Naga.}{+2500 EXP, +2000 Krad, +1 Acidic Breastplate}
LEVEL UP! Your new Level is: Level 12!
Attributable Stat Points: (7)
Attributable Skill Tokens: (3)
Access the ‘Stats’ screen to boost your potential!
“Claire!” I called, running to her crumpled form. “Where’re your vials? Can I get one for you?”
I rolled her over. She was breathing, and doing her best to smile.
“Not a bad party trick, stick-boy. Can you grab my left arm and bring it round here?”
For a shocking moment, I thought she meant her left arm was detached, but it wasn’t that severe. It was bending in a way that couldn’t be healthy, but it was still part of her body. I raised her hand to her face, and she winced, closing her eyes. A red vial appeared in her palm, and I pulled the stopper.
“2500 EXP ain’t bad,” she said, tilting back the vial and healing herself. “My level cracked double digits. We’re probably the first in Bill’s Yard to do that, huh?”
It was hard to keep track of the tens of thousands of players still remaining in the zone, but it could have been true. Claire was by far the most decked-out player I’d seen in the Yard, which begged the question, ‘How?’
“I think you’re right. Let’s head back and you can do some gloating, yeah?”
“Piss off, stick-boy.”
“Fine, rich-girl.”
The hazy light reappeared in the centre of the arena. We trudged over, praying for a teleport out of here. Another boss fight would’ve ended us.
“Whaddya mean rich-girl? I’m about as far from rich as it gets.”
“Doesn’t look like it, not with that gear. Plus, didn’t you see the [Dark Naga] drops? Two thousand krad isn’t bad, eh?”
“Oh snap! Didn’t see that. Any idea what an {Acidic Bow} is?”
“Nope. I got an {Acidic Breastplate}.”
I tried it on, selecting the item in my inventory and clicking ‘Equip’.
The armour was constructed in layers, each jet black with a line of intense purple laced around the edges. I looked slightly silly without any other armour, but the stats were nice.
{Level 80 : Acidic Breastplate}
+320 Armour
Upon receiving physical damage to this armour piece, the attacker may receive ‘Poisoned’ effect for 2-15 seconds.
With 320 Armour, I was basically impervious to chest-hits from any low-level monster. With a full set of this, I could lay down for an eight-hour nap in the hunting grounds south of Bill’s Yard. The EXP gain from poisoning the odd monster would be awful compared to taking on another [Dark Naga], but it all adds up.
I knew I’d be starving in the real-world, so we hurried back to the Parm fast-travel zone after the hazy light was kind enough to teleport us out of the dungeon. Once we left, we got a notification.
Yoltur’s Den (Complete!)
***
Reward(s)
+2500 EXP
+2000 Krad
+1 (Dark Naga Gear Piece)
I’d have to find more of those dungeons. If I could run it three or four more times, I’d have the whole armour set.
We stepped into the fast-travel zone, waved, and accepted the journey.
###
Fast Travel to Bill’s Yard?
(Yes/No)
###
Fast Travelling to Bill’s Yard
###
Complete.
###
After a safe arrival, I waved to Claire again with a show of mock surprise.
“Wow!” I called. “I haven’t seen you in aaaages!”
She didn’t reply, only standing still and gazing out into the township.
Or what was left of it.
The Asterians had attacked.