Ruthless ~ 32!

~ 32 ~

There was nothing to do but keep fighting. Eventually, the group got to the boss of this area, or where the boss should have been. Instead, there was only an empty room, with a book at the other end. Joe looked at the book with excitement: the cover was a deep, burnished gold.

Joe had found what he was looking for! Cautiously moving through the room, they watched for traps or sudden boss encounters. But there was nothing.

Zone cleared! For party ‘Extra-friendly’, current Hunter ladder ranking: 23/23. Gatherer ladder ranking: 22/23. Time elapsed: 5:38:56. Returning to safe zone in three… two…

Joe darted forward and grabbed the golden book, which felt warm to the touch. A moment later, they appeared in the safe area. He held up the book and shouted, “Yes! We got it!”

He opened the cover to read the title, and a strange note caught his eye. 

You should really be less public about your goals. -Sam

Joe blinked, then realized that he was on the ground with Alexis waving something under his nose. “Wake up! We’ve lost almost two hours to whatever knocked us out! Joe! Get up!”

As soon as he was awake, his Aura of Neutrality kicked on and it became far easier to awaken the others. Joe wasn't sure how his aura had been turned off, but when it was on the ‘unconscious’ debuff started flashing away, helped by the smelling salts that Alexis had pulled out.

“Whatever that was, it got through my poison resistance… but only a little.” Alexis told Joe. “I think that it should have held us down for three to four hours, but…”

“Thank you, Alexis. Now we’re behind, but at least we aren’t getting dropped into a fight with other parties while knocked out.” Joe’s sincerity made Alexis blush and shut down, and she simply nodded in reply.

“Well, that’s it for us then, isn't it?” Poppy flopped onto the couch and laid down. “Might as well just wait and get ready for the fights in a few hours. At least we’ll be rested.”

“No, remember that we only get to take a single item from another party if we beat them.” Joe motioned at a different hall, “Let’s get going, we can still figure out a way to get some good gear and such. This is a treasure hunt! Let’s go hunt some treasure!”

Everyone was on board except Poppy. “Joe, think about this logically. Everything in there is going to be at least, what, eight levels higher than it started? We’ve already cleared a hall just to find a defeated boss and a trap, what’s to say we won't get stuck battling only to not find a reward?”

“Poppy, it’s better than just giving up.” Joe looked at the Duelist, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face. “You know… are you just having trouble waking up?”

“I am not known as a morning person.” Poppy unrepentantly snuggled into the couch. “Feel free to motivate me, boss-man, but I’m feeling pretty cozy. Pretty sure this couch is the entire reason that this area is considered ‘hallowed’. It’s heavenly.”

“Feel free to motivate you? Can do.” Joe nodded sagely as he summoned Mate from his sleeve. “I have a cure for what ails you, friend. Mate, use hyper-caffeinate!”

Nothing happened, and it took Joe a moment to realize why: he got the ability wrong. “Shoot. Mate, use over-caffeinate!”

This time, streams of scintillating liquid lanced out of Mate. The rainbow effect looked nothing like coffee, and Joe realized that he was seeing distilled and purified caffeine being injected into Poppy. With a yell, Poppy suddenly shot out off the couch and started vibrating. “What in the…! Joe! I don't feel energetic, my heart is just pounding!”

“Tone it down a notch next time.” Joe muttered to Mate, who bobbed in place happily before wrapping around Joe’s arm, giving it a squeeze-hug, then seeing to evaporate onto Joe’s sleeve again. “Right! Let’s go!”

“I’m gonna vote to boot you the next time Alexis brings it up.” Poppy grumbled.

Alexis looked stricken. “I… I won't do that.”

Bard laughed as Poppy grumbled. The Duelist was moving fast, and his rapier seemed to be everywhere at once. They were speeding through the tunnel, though the monsters were all level eleven. The most numerous creatures by far were the fairy-like creatures. Each of them seemed to use a basic element of magic imbued with holy power, making their damage output terrifying. Yet, they were fragile. With Poppy’s speed and accuracy, combined with his critical hit range, the fairies dropped like common flies.

Alexis and Joe were both happily tossing the fairies remains into their bags. Each of the fallen monsters left behind a small bag of fairy powder, a rare but often required component in several alchemical recipes. As time passed, they reached the end of the hallway… and heard the sound of battle from the boss room.

Joe peeked around the corner and confirmed that the team within were engaged in combat with an extra-large Fairy Queen. Just within the few moments that he observed, the boss used every basic element, each of them clearly imbued with holy power. The magical damage the team must be taking should be massive. Joe focused in on the Fairy and used Intrusive Scan before committing to any actions.

Ursula, Seelie Queen of the Fairies.

Highest stat: Wisdom.

Before he could get any more information, the Fairy glanced his way and flitted to the other side of the room, breaking his line-of-sight. This helped the team that was in combat, but concerned Joe. The Queen was in combat, someone observing her shouldn't have even registered. Though the highest stat shown was wisdom, her perception couldn’t be far behind.

“Two options, guys.” Joe looked at the others, laying out his plan. “We either join combat now, and have to deal with the two groups ourselves. Or… we wait until one side falls and attack the other right away.”

“I say we snatch the reward.” Poppy instantly stated. “Let them duke it out, then we kill off the weakened party. They got here first, let them fight.”

“Nah, hit ‘em both while they’re distracted.” Bard disagreed with the fighter. “Never know what sorta out-of-combat recovery they have.”

“We should…” Alexis looked around, counting faces. “Where’s Jaxon?”

“Craw!”

“Nyah!”

The battle cries of Jaxon’s hands joined in on the cacophony of spell effects and crashing metal. Joe cursed and stalked into the room. “Looks like we’re fighting.”

Jaxon had somehow gotten onto the back of the Fairy Queen, and his hands were chewing into her wings; greatly reducing her mobility. “No one should have wings! If you want to fly, you should build an airplane! These should be artificial! No, even then! Are you a bird? No! Stop acting like one!”

It appeared as though the other group of people had been inflicted with a confusion spell. The main tank of the party glanced at the leader, a Mage, for orders. The Mage shrugged and launched a neutral magic spell: Concussive Blast. “Not our people, fire at will!”

The Fairy and Jaxon were both slapped into the wall. Jaxon fell off her back, but managed to take a wing with him. He came running to Joe with the Queen sprinting after him screaming bloody murder. “Joe, toss this into a bag!”

Joe did so, and as soon as the wing was gone… the Queen paused and turned crimson with rage. A holy-flame nova exploded from her, knocking back anyone that had been getting close. When Joe turned his eyes onto her once again, he felt sick. Her skin was boiling, the flesh moving like snakes were slithering under the surface. Her size increased by almost double, the loose clothing she had worn now straining not to tear. Ursula’s hair, previously gold, turned black. The golden eyes flipped to red, and her straight teeth elongated into something an angler fish would wince at.

Joe managed a scan for only long enough to get her name before she attacked again, moving in a flash.

Sabine, One-winged Unseelie Queen of the Fairies.

Arriving in front of Jaxon, Sabine swept deep gouges into his chest with her three-fingered hands, sending Jaxon tumbling in a spray of blood. Joe reacted instantly, a Mend spell reaching the Monk before he even rolled back to his feet. 

Cursetouch I has inhibited healing! Healing spells and items have their effect reduced by 50%!

“Well, feces.” Joe managed to get out just before a straight snap-kick caught him in the face and sent him into the wall a half-dozen feet away. A shadowy image of himself appeared and slapped the Queen interrupting her follow-up assault on the now-prone party leader.

Damage taken: 0 (233 absorbed by Exquisite Shell.) 

Cursetouch resisted! (50% resistance to Dark Magic.)

While Sabine started laying into Joe’s team, the other group had taken the initiative to back off and heal up. They watched Joe’s team with angry eyes, though they were clearly mocking them as well. A ranger sent an arrow at Alexis, but his barbed words had more impact. “Should have minded your own business! Now we get to clean up after that thing wipes your group!”

“Freaking Jaxon!” Bard roared, using both his axes to block the black claws that were aimed for his eyes. Even though he was successful, Bard skidded back a few feet and black mist seemed to drift into him. “This curse stacks! Watch out!”

Alexis was in front of Bard suddenly, and the massive crossbow on her back swung into position. The Queen’s red eyes narrowed as a huge bolt flew at her, and she managed to catch the bolt just behind the barbed head. Still, the force sent the Fairy backward and put her in striking range of the other party. 

Joe realized then that the Fairy must be very light, though her body was almost the same size as a normal human at this point. He applauded Alexis noticing that, and was about to compliment her when he heard her soft mutterings. She was glaring at Sabine, “Petite double zero, you better stay away from… emulsify!”

A small glass barrier inside the bolt that the Queen was still holding shattered, and the two liquids stored in the shaft mixed together and erupted into a cloud of sparkling pink smoke. The other team and Fairy screamed as welts appeared on their skin, and Alexis winced. “I’m so sorry about that…!”

“What just happened?” Joe asked as his team got back into a formation. 

“Yeah… that’s a really nasty itching poison.” Alexis grabbed Jaxon and pulled him as he tried to rush forward. “Wait! I don’t have an antidote for that, and if you try to itch yourself, you’re gonna get bitten! Three seconds before it doesn't make new welts!”

Sabine screeched, alternating between mauling the other party and tearing at her own skin. The lines left behind oozed a dark light, and Joe realized that she wasn’t immune to her own abilities. Each of the people impacted by the poison were screaming, both in pain and fury. It seemed that the melee fighters had gone berserk, ignoring defense in an attempt to deal as much damage as possible. 

The spellcasters and ranged fighters kept interrupting their own actions by scratching at themselves, and Joe decided to help this battle along by getting close enough to spray their opponents with acid. The open wounds combined with the itching welts, and the other team became desperate. One strike, two, and some kind of bash brought Sabine to the ground. The fighter raised his sword for a coup de grace, but as his sword reached Sabine’s heart, she vanished into a ball of light.

Another ball of light zipped toward Sabine’s position, and in a moment both Poppy and Sabine appeared. The Queen was no longer moving, Poppy’s rapier having pinned her to the ground and bottomed out her health bar.

Jaxon arrived among the furious team, his hands tearing into the unprotected flesh of the healer and mage. They fell in seconds; their melee teammates having been forced into combat with the remainder of Joe’s team. In under thirty seconds, the other team had vanished into motes of light, and Joe was shown a listing of the items they had collected. There were a few interesting items, and he was even able to see a description of what they did.

Everything they had collected so far had its description hidden, and they could only go off of context and hope that they had collected something good. As Joe was pondering what the difference was, a notification appeared.

Hunter position updated! Assigning random item in ten seconds. Make sure to choose an item before this if there is something specific you want. 9… 

Joe quickly chose a cauldron from the list, since nothing else had stuck out to him. He remembered something from his alchemy book about cauldrons, and he knew that Jake the Alchemist took care of his own cauldron as if it were a fragile flower instead of a five-hundred-pound, magic-imbued metal. The item appeared in his codpiece of holding, and they worked to collect everything not bolted down. Soon the room was bare, and a familiar notification appeared.

Zone cleared! For party ‘Extra-friendly’, current Hunter ladder ranking: 17/22. Gatherer ladder ranking: 18/22. Time elapsed: 9:38:56. Returning to safe zone in three… two…

A meaty *thunk* caught his attention, and the teleportation message vanished. Joe turned to the side to see that Jaxon was pinned to the ground by a familiar Monk who was sending continuous attacks into his side, and Poppy had taken a warhammer to the side of his head. Alexis fell with two arrows in her neck, and Bard charged into combat with a roar. 

Fluid sprang from Joe’s hands, but the abomination that was Sam_King threw a paper into the air, and Joe’s acid fell to the ground as it encountered an arctic wind that froze it solid. Joe saw the air around a floating book shake like the after effects of an explosion, and Sam nodded like he had just heard something important. “He has a retaliatory effect, everyone. No big hits, death by a thousand slices for that one.”

After his party was slain, Joe was slowly and carefully beat to death. Somehow, the other team had access to lots of health-restoring potions; so even though Joe’s shadow appeared and slapped them around, and a Dark Lightning Strike caused them to wince in pain, it only took a few moments for Joe to lose his Exquisite Shell. From there, it was only two seconds before he fell.

You have died! Calculating… no experience lost. You have been barred from the Hallowed Grounds.

Calculating… item snatched by party ‘Wolf Pack’: Golden Tome of Divine Favor.

Quest failed: The Golden Tome of Divine Favor. You have failed to return with the quest item! Return to an altar of Tommulus to gain pro-rated rewards.