Kassandra looked over at him as they ran. “Are you alright?” she gasped, staring at his blood covered clothing. “What happened while I was gone?”
“Valentina thought it would be a good idea to feed a grenade to a hippo monster,” he replied dryly. “It got a little messy.”
Valentina giggled. “You should have seen it. The explosion was awesome.”
He shook his head as he raced up the stairs. Clearly, he had a very different definition of awesome from the green beret. Though he had to admit her attack had been effective. Maybe she could rig up some more explosives to use against other challenge monsters in the future.
Glancing over at the energy orb at the side of his vision, he noted it was half full. With their current pace, they wouldn’t reach the crocodile headed summoner before it cast a 2-energy card.
“Boone,” he called out over his shoulder. “Peel off and lay down some covering fire. Maybe you can take down the shield before we get there.”
“You got it.” Boone veered off to the side, moving across the terrace, most likely to find a better position he could shoot from.
Warren increased his strides, feeling sweat trickling down his back. He swore if he got out of this invasion alive, he would start running ten miles every day. He’d always blown off cardio back in Florida, and now he was regretting it.
He heard a shot ring out, and the shield shimmered around the crocodile headed dungeon boss. But the humanoid creature didn’t even flinch. Another flurry of shots from the gunslinger followed, each one hammering against the glowing energy shield.
With the protective shield showing no sign of failing, he had to assume it was more powerful than his own. He believed that there was a relationship between a card’s attack power and how much damage it could inflict in a round.
If he was right, then Duskwalker’s ranged attack power of 2 should be able to take down a shield with 2 points allocated to it after one round—or approximately two minutes. That meant the gunslinger wouldn’t be able to breach it before Sobek used another card.
Warren knew he needed to change tactics if they were going to win this fight. They were going to need Valentina’s grenades again.
“I know I’m going to regret this,” he said, breathing hard. “But I want you to throw your grenades when we reach the top.”
Valentina grinned like a maniac. “You got it, doc.”
They reached the top platform right as the last sliver of his energy orb refilled. He held up his hand to stop the others and then ducked down at the edge of the platform. He didn’t want anyone to get hit by shrapnel from the explosion.
Valentina rushed forward and hurled a grenade with a side hand throw. As the first explosive sailed toward her target, she pulled the pin on a second one and threw it. Both struck the shield and bounced back.
“Fire in the hole!” the green beret called out before jumping down next to Warren. The moment she landed, a pair of explosions followed.
Popping his head up, he cursed to see the shield still shimmering around the dungeon boss. He’d assumed the shield couldn’t be much stronger than his own, but clearly, he’d been wrong. And now they were going to have to face an even more powerful summons than the first.
As if in response to his thoughts, Sobek waved his staff, and tendrils of darkness swirled around it. A dark portal sprang to life nearby, and a monstrous crocodilian humanoid strode forth.
The monster easily stood taller than a house, and its skin shone like polished obsidian. On its head, it wore a golden crown, with two tall pillars at either end. In its scaly hand, it clutched a staff similar to the summoners, while it was dressed in what looked like a simple kilt and a white tunic.
Above the creature’s head floated a name plate:
Sobek-Ra, 2 Energy
Rare Quality Card
At the sight of the towering monster, Valentina took a step back. “Oh shit.”
Warren cast his card, Blade of Deimos, and then strode forward to meet the summoner. As he did, he called over his shoulder to Kassandra and Valentina. “Do you think you two can keep the minion busy?”
“Oh sure,” Valentina said. “Have us fight the Godzilla sized monster while you take on the little guy. That totally sounds fair.”
Kassandra drew her dagger. “I can handle it.”
“It’s a rare quality card,” he warned them. “So, just try to keep it busy. Maybe kite it away from me while I deal with the summoner.”
“No problem.” Kassandra dashed forward, dodging under a ponderous swing of the creature’s staff. The weapon was as thick as a telephone pole, and he shuddered to think of what would happen if it struck either of the women.
But right now, he had to concentrate on taking out the summoner. If he could kill Sobek, then the minion should disappear. At least that is what had happened with the Slaviigolaris back at his dad’s old house. He had to hope the same rules would apply here.
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“Boone,” he shouted as he stalked forward. “Focus your fire on the new minion—” Before he could finish speaking, the monstrous Sobek-Ra let out a roar that shook the foundation of the pyramid. He didn’t know if the gunslinger had heard him, but as long as he didn’t get shot in the back, he’d be happy.
He raised his sword and charged forward, only to skid to a stop as Kassandra screamed his name. Turning his head in her direction, his eyes widened at the sight of the minion holding up its staff. At the end of the weapon, a golden gem was glowing with the light of a thousand suns.
And it was pointed directly at him.
Without thinking, he hurled himself back. He slammed into the hard stone floor and rolled away. A second later, a beam carved a deep trench in the stone where he’d been standing. The edge of the beam caught his shield, making it flicker and then collapse. The entire pyramid shook from the impact, and a wall of super-heated air buffeted him.
Staggering to his feet, he stared with shock at the devastation a single attack had caused. The stone had been turned into glowing molten rock and it dripped down from the edges of the channel. If Kassandra hadn’t warned him, he’d likely have been vaporized.
His companions renewed their attack on the minion, with Valentina snapping off rapid shots, while Kassandra darted in and slashed at Sobek-Ra. But none of their attacks appeared to be doing any damage. Nothing could penetrate the creature’s stone-like hide.
I have to defeat the summoner fast or we’re in serious trouble.
Warren lurched forward, lifting his blade once more. As he did, he kept watch on the summoned minion out of the corner of his eye. He didn’t want to be caught unaware again. If it launched another attack from its staff, he wanted to see it coming.
The stone in the trench was rapidly cooling, but he took care as he leapt over it. The last thing he needed was his only pair of shoes melting. Never mind what might happen to his feet if he stepped in lava.
Nearing the dungeon boss, he watched as the creature swung its own staff around and assumed a fighting stance. Apparently, this one wasn’t going to be passive like the Wizened Milbark. If he wanted to defeat it, he needed to fight it in hand-to-hand combat.
As he approached Sobek, another volley of the gunslinger’s bullet struck its shield. Finally, the energy barrier collapsed, leaving the summoner vulnerable. But before Boone could reload, the crocodile headed monster retreated away from the edge and out of line-of-sight.
Warren hefted his sword and let out a battle cry as he charged after Sobek. His swinging blade was met by the summoner’s staff, and he grunted as he pushed the creature back. He followed up his initial attack with a series of strikes, growing increasingly frustrated as Sobek easily deflected each one.
Lunging forward, he raised his weapon with both hands, intent on delivering a massive blow. But Sobek spun its staff around and slammed the butt of its weapon into his face.
He reeled back, pain radiating down his jaw. Spitting out blood, he glowered at the enemy summoner. He needed to find an opening in its defenses.
They circled each other warily, like two predators sizing each other up. While his weapon was deadlier, his opponent wielded its staff with impressive skill.
I really need to add some points into Defence before my next fight.
Launching another attack, he slashed high before flipping the sword around and dropping to his knee. He hooked the curved guard around Sobek’s ankle and yanked it forward. The summoner flailed as it was pulled from its feet. Then it landed heavily on its back.
Warren jumped to his feet and wrapped both hands around the hilt. He drove the blade down with all his might, intent on finishing the fight. But at the last second, Sobek rolled out of the way.
The tip of the blade skittered across the hard stone, leaving a shallow gouge in his wake. He stalked after Sobek, slashing down again before it could get to its feet. This time, the blade bit deeply into the summoner’s arm.
He ripped the weapon free in a spray of blood. But before he could finish off Sobek, the summoner waved his staff around. Tendrils of darkness swirled around them as another minion prepared to step forth from the void.
We’re finished if he summons another minion.
A staccato of rapid shots interrupted his thoughts, each one slamming into Sobek’s unprotected chest. From the edge of his vision, he caught sight of Valentina approaching, little puffs of smoke emerging from the barrel of her rifle with each squeeze of the trigger.
“I couldn’t do much against the giant fucker!” Valentina called out. “Maybe I’ll have better luck against this small guy.”
More than anything, he wanted to check on Kassandra, now that she was facing the monstrous summons alone. But he had to use the distraction Valentina had provided.
Warren rushed forward and tackled Sobek. The creature snapped at him with its crocodilian mouth, but the toothy maw missed him as they tumbled to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. He lifted his weapon and smashed the pommel against the creature’s mouth. Each strike knocked out teeth and sent blood splattering across the stone.
With one final hit, he lurched to his feet and raised his sword over his head. Beside him, a towering creature with the body of a woman and the head of a cat had emerged from the darkness. As the new minion turned in his direction, its eyes glowed with hellfire.
Warren ignored the new summons and swung his sword down with all his might. His blade sliced through Sobek’s shoulder, carving through skin, flesh, and then bone, before reaching the middle of its chest. He tried to pull the blade free for another strike, but it was stuck fast in the creature’s ribcage.
Releasing the hilt, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the scalpel. Dropping to his knees, he drove the blade deep into the summoner’s throat. He ripped it free before slashing again and again.
Finally, Sobek slumped back and disappeared into motes of light. This was followed immediately by its minions collapsing to the ground before disintegrating. He’d defeated the summoner.
A moment later, a notification appeared.
The Eternal Emperor congratulates you on reaching Level 4. The road to ultimate power is a long and dangerous one, but you have taken another step on the journey.
New Stat Points Awarded:1
New Deck Improvements:1
This was immediately followed by more text:
The Eternal Emperor sends his praise for defeating Sobek – Level 2. In a show of the Emperor’s boundless generosity, he has granted you a reward.
Please choose from one of the following:
- One (1) Poor Quality Artifact
- One (1) Uncommon Quality Card Upgrade
As he studied the options, Valentina walked up to him, lowering her rifle and letting it hang from the sling around her shoulder.
“Did you seriously just kill him with a scalpel, doc?” The green beret cocked her head to the side. “That has to be ironic, right? A doctor killing someone with a scalpel?”
“I don’t know if that counts as irony,” Warren said wearily. He reached down and wiped his bloody hands on his pants. Then he turned around to see how the others had fared in the battle.
Somehow, both Kassandra and Boone had survived the encounter with the minion Sobek-Ra. Though both of them looked a bit worse for wear. Kassandra limped, favoring one leg, while Boone had a burn mark traveling across his chest.
Warren opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Boone lifted his six shooters and pointed them directly at him.
“Me and you are going to have a little talk,” Boone snarled. “Because I’m not going back to that void.”