Rune Seeker

The second sets of waves – this time composed of birds of prey in growing sizes – didn’t do much better than the insects. None of the smaller monsters made it past the outer defenses of the Domain of the Sun+, each getting zapped just as easily as the bugs before them. The next Mid-Boss – the Roc – however, proved to be a bit tougher. With feathers that resisted the magic of the Domain’s attacks, it actually made it past the arena’s translucent wall, and onto the plateau proper.

Hiral and the others were just about to step in – each ready for some action – until Seeyela’s spider’s beat them to the punch. The red lines on their bodies pulsed back to front, back to front, back to front before the cannons on their backs launched matching, red beams. One blast each striking the Roc in the left wing, body, and right wing respectively, and that was pretty much it.

The Mid-Boss crashed to the ground fifty feet away from the party, lightning striking it constantly the entire time. As soon as it was in range, the flaming vines joined in on the fun, lashing across any part of its body they could reach. And, it wasn’t like the spiders were going to be left out of the action at this point – their cannons firing one after another. Another few seconds, and the Mid-Boss was dead – with the party having only been in the zone for sixty-four seconds, according to the timer.

It would’ve been a bit faster if we didn’t have to wait for the next monsters to arrive…

“You all are really doing a number on my self-esteem,” Romin said quietly as the next wave of monsters rose into the air around the plateau. Like the Bonder had described, each of the creatures was noticeably different than the waves before.

The size of children, with four arms, wings, and tails, red veins ran through their white skin. They wore little more than loincloths around their waists, and each had horns jutting from their temples, though the shape and style of them seemed to vary slightly between individuals. Unlike the previous bestial waves, these Imps – as View called them – eyed the powerful domain around the plateau, like they recognized it as unnatural.

Too bad for them, they didn’t recognize it as a threat, hesitating only a few seconds before the entire flight of them charged in. Lightning ripped them out of the sky in droves, sending their smoldering bodies crashing to the ground.

They’re sturdier than the hornets or birds if there’s anything more than ash is left of them after getting hit.

Those that survived the initial descent quickly fell prey to the overzealous vines of fiery death. Pounding, like a drum chorus, echoed from around the arena, all to the mad cheering of the spectral audience. Arms pumped in the air, cheers and hoots echoed across the plateau, and Hiral could almost imagine understanding some of what sounded like rhythmic chanting coming from one section.

After the first wave of Imps fell to the automated defenses of the combined domains, the next two waves followed. These ones took longer to finally – painfully – die, at closer to a dozen seconds a wave compared to the initial seven or eight. Die they did, though, and the final wave came with a single shape rising high above the plateau to look down on the party.

Arcrax of the Fourth Crusade, according to the name above his head. The Boss of the dungeon had arrived. Four arms crossed his chest as his wings lazily flapped, magic obviously having more to do with his flight than the appendages, while he looked at each of the party members in turn. It only took him a few seconds, and he unfurled his arms, energy crackling in his palms.

“What’s his trick again?” Seena asked.

“Speed,” Romin said. “Mainly. He’s forming his weapons now. Then he’ll charge one of us.”

True to the Bonder’s words, scimitars of raw energy formed in each of the Boss’s hands, then he leaned forward and burst ahead. Speed far above anything else in the dungeon so far, Arcrax blasted past the outer ring of the domain, lightning bolts from a dozen different angles racing in his direction. Bolts that missed, as he weaved between and around them. Down and to the side, he zipped out to the edge of the plateau, then skimmed just a few feet above the ground.

Dust kicked up in a trail behind him as thorned vines of savage flames whipped at him from all sides. Zig-zagging like he knew where they were going to come from, Arcrax passed through the gauntlet in an impressive fashion, a smile of triumph spreading across his face. Ahead of him, moving as if in slow motion, his target’s head sluggishly turned in his direction, even as his four weapons came around to cut her apart.

Whether it was because Seena had spoken first – or some ability the Boss had to pick her out as the party leader – Arcrax had chosen her as his target. And he was planning to end her before she or the rest of her party had a chance to act. Already, his swords were out wide by his shoulders, timed to cut through the woman in front of him before he passed through the falling pieces of torn body.

At least, that had been his plan, until – again as if in slow motion – Seena vanished, and Hiral appeared in her place, RHC up and with three runic circles hanging in front of it, and a much larger barrel of solar energy surrounding them. All of it aimed straight at Arcrax’s face. The Boss was fast, sure, for a High-C-Rank dungeon. Too bad for it, Hiral was much faster.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

And pretty pissed off it was going after his girl.

The Pilgrim didn’t even have time to look surprised before Hiral pulled his trigger, the Power Attack+and Piercing Shot+ empowered blast slamming into the Boss’s face.

Hiral’s arm kicked up from the power of the shot, while the searing bolt of Impact itself parted the horizontally-flying monster straight down the middle. Through its face, neck, torso, and out its other end, the monster’s body provided zero resistance to the shot. A thought put a wedge of Rejection in front of the party, and the already-splitting Boss hit it with a wet shlurch.

One half down each pane of Rejection, a trail of gore split at a forty-five-degree angle to either side of the party, the monster’s own momentum carrying it along. A second, and it was past, stilled wings and magic no longer keeping it aloft, to grind hard along the ground. It travelled almost a hundred feet before friction and stone stole its momentum. And, if there was any worry about the Pilgrim somehow surviving Hiral’s decisive strike, Seena’s domain squashed it.

Just like the Boss.

A dozen nearby, flaming vines slammed down on each of the two halves with enough extreme prejudice to make Yanily proud. The pounding lasted a solid five seconds before each vine gave the bodies one more wham – as if for good measure – then finally stilled.

“That was the Boss, Romin?” Seena asked, wincing a little as she looked at the craters where each half of Arcrax lay in little more than… mushy puddles.

“That… was,” the Bonder emphasized, his unused blunderbuss still in hand.

“Then we’re done,” Yanily said, and each of the party members turned to look for the dungeon interface as a notification window sprung up.

Except, when Hiral looked at it, it was not what he expected.

Dynamic Quest: Update

The Plateau of Three Valleys has become the Plateau of Four Valleys

Long thought to be the home of three territorial species, the true master of the peaks has emerged, enraged at the demise of those who kept the riffraff away from its hoard.

Hidden Boss unlocked due to speed of clearing waves.

Hidden Boss Defeated: 0/1

The Fourth Crusade comes.

Survive.

“Romin?” Hiral asked, his head turning to the Bonder as everybody read the new notification window. “Did you know about this?”

“I had no idea,” Romin said. “None of us have ever seen this.”

“This Fourth Crusade, is it related to Arcrax?” Seeyela asked. “Name matches.”

“What even is it?” Seena asked, and a mountain-shaking ROAR came as if in reply.

Hiral pushed Rejectionand Decrease out around the party, cutting the volume down to more manageable levels, even as the ground under their feet shook, and the lines of his domain blurred. The spectral amphitheatre didn’t fade or break, but likely only because it was B-Rank. Whatever that roar was, it seemed to have the power to dispel existing buffs.

“None of that matters,” Yanily said, face serious.

“It doesn’t?” Gran asked. “Seems pretty high up on my list of things to know.”

“No.” The spearman shook his head. “Didn’t you read the notification? The most important part is clearly the hoard its guarding.”

“Of course he’s after the loot,” Seena said, but all eyes turned as the roar finally faded, and a great shadow rose from one side of the plateau.

The massive wings had to be almost a hundred feet, tip-to-tip, but it was the dragon between them that really demanded attention.

Pristine white scales edged in blood red, each the size of Nivian’s shield, covered its body from head to tail. Sticking to the color-motif that matched the scales and wings, the titanic claws on the end of each of its six feet – two in the back and four like arms – were the same blood-red, while the tail ended in a ten-foot blade that glowed with white energy. Three spiral horns emerged from the draconic head – one directly up from the forehead, with another from each side of its skull that curved to point forward – and matched the color of the claws. A tongue tasted the air between red-and-white teeth, though it was hard to tell if it was the same color combination or actual blood, and four eyes stared hatefully at the party.

A second for View to activate, and the dragon’s name and health bar appeared above it.

(Hidden Boss) The Fourth Crusade – Unknown Rank

“Think you can stare this one down?” Seeyela asked Yanily.

“I kind of hope not,” the spearman responded, weapon spinning eagerly in his hands. “Bout time we had a real fight.”

“We got this,” Hiral added, both fingers charging up Power Attacks on his RHCs.

“Foolish trespassers,” The Fourth Crusade said, it’s voice oddly soft and smooth, though it clearly reached all corners of the dungeon. “You should have never come here. Never awakened me. Blame your own greed for what comes next.”

As soon as it finished speaking, a powerful beat of its wings shot it higher into the sky, blowback washing across the plateau with enough force the party had to lean into it.

“Get ready for anything,” Seena said, while the dragon flew out wide, its wings spread as it glided in a circle further from the mountain. “I doubt its going to do tricks for us.”

“Have any of you ever fought a dragon?” Romin asked, though impressively, he and Wallop moved to put themselves between the party and the Hidden Boss.

“Uh, just a dead one,” Yanily said.

“Undead,” Seeyela clarified.

“Dracolich,” Hiral filled in. “It didn’t fly.”

“What did it do?” Romin asked.

Hiral opened his mouth to answer at the same time The Fourth Crusade finished its sweeping arc, then tucked its wings and dove in the plateau’s direction. Mouth opening wide, raw, crimson energy began gathering between its massive teeth, trails of it following behind the sudden dive. As if the energy eroded the air itself, the streamers burned as they spread across the sky, leaving arcs of crackling corrosion in the dragon’s wake.

“Breath attack,” Hiral said in answer to Romin’s question as the whole party realized what was coming.