Underworld - Sanctuary: A LitRPG Series, page 35
One of my appendages grabbed hold of his foot and started to drain his mana as we fought. My appendage wasn’t strong enough to pull or push, but it wasn’t as easy cord to sever. I grabbed his shield so he wouldn’t fall back and caught him by the horn when he tried to headbutt me. He had lost. As soon as they were finished, I ran back to Travis.
Chris stared dumbly at the twenty or so minotaurs that were attacking the girls. Not knowing what he could do, he picked up a random sword from the ground and ran at them to help.
Finally getting a close look at Travis, a knot rose in my throat. I removed his armor even though I knew it wouldn’t help. The blood he had lost... Nearly all his mana was already gone. Gathering mana in my eyes to cast Force Learn, I’d see if I could bring him back from the brink as I had Aeris. Suddenly, Lydia was there. She stooped down to kneel on the other side of him.
I was about to ignore her and assume she just wanted to be there for moral support when I saw the syringe in her hand. It was a massive thing, with a vial full of gray liquid at least ten inches long. The needle was at least three inches and much fatter than the small gauge needles I had seen in the world above.
She looked me dead in the eye. “Go.” She motioned to Kylie and Jess. Without another word, she stabbed the needle right into his neck.
I don’t think I had been that shocked since entering the Underworld. She pushed hard to empty the vial quickly then nodded to herself.
Shaking off my horror, I saw a strange glow that began where she had given him the shot that flooded into his system with the help of his beating heart. I decided to trust her since she had already proven she could heal with her potions. Something was definitely happening.
The six men and women who stood against the twenty-minotaur attack party were still alive, but only just.
I flew into the midst of them and bone appendages exploded from my back. Ten of them reached out and grabbed whoever was closest and began to leech the enemy of mana as I swung my Warhammer like a wild man.
Mana flooded into me and my hammer found purchase, but not without taking my fair share of blows. I was knocked aside by numerous shields. Axes tested the toughness of my skin. I even took my fair share of friendly fire as ice, rock, and fire pelted the herd. A low-grade Health Regeneration took care of it all. If I had been taller, it would have been over much quicker, but few shots to the legs or gut are instant one hit kills.
“Incoming!” Olivia cried from the Master Chamber.
There were still a dozen minotaurs facing off against us when three of Waldemar’s remaining four minotaurs rushed toward the bridge.
I tried everything to speed up this group of mob’s demise. The spell Pain was still useless. As more of them fell, the remaining minotaurs started to die faster. Please, let it be quick enough.
Like a man with a hate filled foot fetish, Russ was pummeling minotaur feet at every opportunity he got. Skyler was the only one that matched their strength, so he was smashing their shields where he could reach them to keep the mobs off balance.
Kylie and Jess stuck to defense and were giving those minotaurs after them a dancing lesson.
I swatted one in the hip to knock it into its neighbor, which gave Melony a perfect shot at the hunched over one’s face. Her rapier dug deep into its eye socket and nearly pulled her to the ground as it fell down dead.
Like an annoying bug that just wouldn’t die, Richard kept charging the same minotaur who kept smacking him across the room. As three more mobs fell, I crippled his attacker at the ankle and caved in the ribs of another. Perhaps getting his only clean shot of the day, Richard’s sword jabbed into its neck.
I felt it as much as saw the new group of minotaurs as they neared the bridge. At the head of this group was one of the three minotaurs I had been unable to observe. He cried out in a powerful war cry similar to the one Waldemar used. He covered them in a blanket of energy.
Trying to observe him again, I was now able to see that he was level 1,678. My level had risen so I was no longer in the dark to how powerful he was. He had 4,000 Strength and Dexterity, so I was finally meeting something that was my match.
It was then that I noticed Travis was still lying at the foot of the bridge. He was only starting to pick himself up.
“Help!” Lydia cried as she ran from there to get clear of the assault.
I rebuked myself. Of course, she doesn’t have the Strength to carry him and I just left them there.
Hope welled up inside me as one of Clarissa’s stone walls climbed into the air in front of the attackers at the center of the bridge.
“Clarissa’s spent!” Audrey said over general chat.
As they reached the bridge, the minotaurs stopped.
It was then that Travis started to rise. I dropped my appendages entirely and sprinted right for him. “Move!” I cried.
The lead minotaur lowered his head. With a few rapid steps, he left the wall in ruins with a single attack.
Pelted with rubble, Travis shook it off as he came to his feet. The eyes that looked back at me weren’t the eyes of my friend. His shoulders and chest ballooned with power as fur started to take root. His jaw widened and his snout expanded. He was transformed.
Lydia hadn’t healed him. She had forced his change…
Finally aware of the world around him, Travis’s jaw hung open as he tasted the air with his tongue. His head twisted around to look at the minotaur that had just covered him in rock.
The minotaur stepped forward, dismissing him.
With no weapon to speak of, Travis sprang into the air. He landed on the lead minotaur’s shield that was meant to repel him. Claws and a mouth full of fangs tore at the minotaur’s face as he scrambled over the shield.
I had nearly reached the bridge when the minotaur’s two companions stepped forward to defend him. Each of them were greater minotaurs, but I couldn’t lose this opportunity of having the lead minotaur distracted.
Their shields slammed into the ground side by side to form a wall. That’s kind of you.
I ran straight into the minotaur furthest from the ledge at full speed, lowering my shoulder as I went. A thunderclap sounded. The one near the ledge fell off the bridge into the crevasse below. The remaining mob hadn’t lowered his center of gravity enough to brace against the collision. His legs were swept out from under him and he landed on his face.
Scrambling to push his legs off of me, I found I had an open shot. My Warhammer screamed toward the lead minotaur’s knee.
My target began to move as I reached for him, but he stepped back to evade. He was quick. My three-pronged hammer clipped his lower thigh, but instead of exploding through it, the blow grazed off like it was made of stone.
Suddenly, the world was spinning as the minotaur’s axe clobbered me from behind. I was tossed over the gap and across the floor on the minotaur’s side of the bridge. I came to rest fifty feet away. He had been aware of my approach all along and used his opening as bait.
-21,816 HP
It was only a fraction of my total HP, but he was the first minotaur to get the drop on me. Eyeing my Mana, I saw I had 345,097 MP remaining. It gave me seventeen minutes of 2x Fire Incubus Form remaining. I needed to thank all these walking steaks for sharing their mana.
With a jerk of his head, the largest minotaur sent Travis flying.
Heal sped toward him, as I checked his stats with Creature Observation. I got a good little shocker. Travis’s Dexterity was now over 3,000 as a werewolf. The bonus he was getting was significantly higher than my Shapeshifting Form.
Instead of smacking against the wall, Travis spun in the air. Getting his feet beneath him as he collided with the wall, he landed on all fours and dug a deep trench into the wall as his claws dug in to bring him to a skidding stop. He leaped to the floor and, like a wolf stalking its prey, held himself low on the ground and bared his teeth.
Before I could see Travis’s next move, the lead minotaur hurled himself into the air right for me.
Placing myself on his shield side, I waited for him to come.
Immense leg strength allowed him to land in a fighting stance. His shield swung out to meet me.
With a two-handed grip, I pounded it with my hammer.
His whistled toward my chest as he spun to face me.
Swatting it up and over my head, I struck toward the same leg I had clipped before.
His shield arrived in time, deflecting it.
Misleading combinations left me scrambling at such speed. His skill was obviously beyond mine. If it wasn’t for Mana Sight, I’d have already been a goner.
I tried to attack his shield, possibly destroy it. Besides a couple of dings, it didn’t seem to be working. I hoped that since I had him alone that Pain would work, but once again, there was no effect. Perhaps it was because of his Earth Alignment…
At the best, it was a stalemate, but I knew that wasn’t really the case. After stealing stats through Drain, I currently had a slight stat advantage over him, but still, I was gaining no ground.
Throwing a channeled Light Orb into his face that sparked into blinding light, I had won a moment to check my stats. My advantage had grown. Instead of 4,000, the physical stats I had gained pushed them up past 4,500. That was originally 3x Fire Incubus territory.
There had been a number of minotaurs still dying when I had first cast Drain on the room. We had killed fifteen since then and only four were left of the second wave. If I couldn’t beat him with skill, then I needed all the stats I could get.
I lobbed Drain with 10,000 MP charging it into the air. It had enough extra mana that it shouldn’t matter where the enemy bodies were in the room.
The minotaur thundered toward me.
I rolled to the side as it sped past and began to run.
The minotaur hoofed at the ground to come to a forceful stop. He ran after me, snorting in delight. It seemed like he thought I was giving up.
Launching myself into the air, I flew toward the second floor. My trajectory was all wrong and I was headed straight for the stone ledge.
The minotaur jumped after me but had no idea what I planned.
Landing against ledge with both feet, I sprang high above the second floor into the air in the middle of the room.
The minotaur crashed into the ledge but had the strength to shrug it off, then drop to the floor below.
Drain filled me with the power from blood and flesh.
+216 Str
+111 Dex
+120 Con
I fell toward the ground. Twisting, I landed facing the minotaur who was already storming toward me.
Now with over 750 more Strength and 500 more Dexterity than he had in total, I ran to meet him.
Casting another Light Orb to fly at his head, I left this one uncharged.
As I had hoped, he closed his eyes in anticipation of a blinding light which didn’t come.
Dipping under his axe, I drummed my Warhammer into the leg that had eluded me. It shook him to his core. I knocked his axe aside as it chopped down upon me and followed up by placing my weapon’s spike in the back of the same knee.
He lost balance as he tried to headbutt me and his chin hit the floor.
An earthshaking roar caused me to stumble. It wasn’t the lead minotaur I had been facing but Waldemar. He was done waiting. I saw neutral energy rise up from the minotaur at my feet to join even more energy in the air. It came from every minotaur in the room, including the corpses of those I had already drained. I watched as the power came together before answering Waldemar’s call.
I realized then just how much his mana had diminished since I first saw him. He had been the only minotaur that shone like a mage. Now, as the bulk of the shared power reached him, his mana started to replenish. By the time he had collected it all, his mana had skyrocketed to four times what he had just had a moment ago.
It was obvious then what the battle cries had done to him. Not only had they granted injured minotaurs strength from their comrades, but he had given them his strength as well. Looking at him now, as he lifted burly battle axe to his shoulder, I realized the battle had just begun.
His champion who had yet to join the battle, turned and fled.
Whether he was going to inform Mistress Nava of what had happened or going to try and find a way to attack us from behind I didn’t know.
Waldemar began his march.
In panic, I returned my attention to the minotaur I had been facing. He looked like his strength had been sucked out of him. I shattered ever hope he had of rising again with a few quick swings of my hammer, then Drained him.
+32 Strength
+33 Dexterity
I reached level 703.
As quickly as I could, I did an assessment. Travis was still facing off with his minotaur and, despite not having his spear, tearing it apart. Four minotaurs still stood against our bashers, but they were bloody and on their last legs.
“What is everyone’s mana levels?” I called to the group. While at it I put my boot upon the back of the dead minotaur at my feet and drained what mana he had left. Strange. I didn’t know what Waldemar had taken from him, but he still had a good deal of mana left.
Trevon was the first to answer. “I’m out. Zorik is too.”
“Clarissa collapsed, but she’s meditating now,” Audrey said. “I’m nearly done. About 20k left.”
“I’ll be out… Now!” Aeris yelled as a whoosh of air sounded followed by a sonic boom.
Looking back over my shoulder, I saw her fall from six feet in the air. Blood sprayed from the remaining four minotaurs they had been facing. The monsters fell to the floor dead.
“I have some saved up,” Mel replied.
“I’m halfway there!” Olivia answered last. “Just a few more minutes and I’m ready to go.”
As they spoke, I sprinted to the bridge where Travis was still fighting, while keeping an eye on Waldemar. There was no telling when the boss monster would start his assault, so I laid into the minotaur as soon as I arrived.
Taking the minotaur’s legs out from under him, Travis grasped onto the mob’s throat.
I turned my head so as not to see the rest.
“Everyone meditate and recover!” I hissed. “Get off the first floor. If I fail to finish Waldemar, you’ll need to throw everything you have at him!”
My appendage hooked the arm of the fallen minotaur and I stole its mana as well. Forcing myself to look at my feral friend, I quickly considered what to do with him. He was as likely to attack me or the others as he was the enemy, but if he did face Waldemar it could be the end of him.
“You have slaughtered my herd!” the sole remaining minotaur rumbled. “Payment is required!”
Even as I watched him set off, Waldemar blurred toward me at unfathomable speed. Any advantage Mana Sight had given me was gone.
I’d just barely got my Warhammer up to meet his axe when it swept me off the ground, launching toward the wall.
Travis leaped to attack him, but the back of the minotaur’s hand swatted him from the sky.
Like a bug on a windshield, I hit the stone wall. My back screamed and my limbs felt numb. I healed myself even as my consciousness tried to blink out.
I heard screaming through general chat.
As my health returned, I wondered why I hadn’t hit the ground. Looking down, I saw I was in a crater in the wall.
“Elorion!” Aeris called frantically.
“I’m fine,” I replied. “Keep everyone away.”
My Character Sheet appeared at my command.
289,333/502,572 HP
My health was still rising.
Returning to 1x Fire Incubus Form, I shrunk in size, making it easier to squirm out of the hole.
Travis had landed close by and had reverted to his human form. He didn’t have mana bleed, which was a good sign. Observing him, I saw his HP percentage was worse than mine, but it was climbing quickly. It seemed his werewolf regeneration would affect him even when he was not transformed.
Shaking myself off, I watched Waldemar stroll across the bridge like it was his own. After all he had seen of us, he had no fear.
The others had done as I commanded and retreated from the first floor. It was just the two of us now.
“Do you need a hand?” Mel called from the second floor. Without waiting for an answer, he jumped. Speeding toward the ground, he landed on shaky legs but rose up without injury. He was holding a familiar skull.
As he stood between me and Waldemar, I amped back up to 2x Fire Incubus Form and moved to race forward when Dark Magic flashed from him as he lifted his Fire Incubus’s skull.
Like equipping a helmet, he placed it on his head. The skull drank his Dark Mana and gulped it all in. When it had finished, a light devouring shadow seeped from it like the smoke from a flame. After covering itself, it swept over Mel’s body until he was shadow itself.
He took a new form. At least a foot taller and with the muscle mass of a proper tank, the shadow solidified, leaving him with dark Incubus skin.
I was at his side in a flash, unsure if he would really be of much help. Creature Observation revealed more than I expected.
Level: 510
Health Points: 248,800
Mana Points: 120,555
Attributes
Strength: 4,014
Dexterity: 3,211
Constitution: 2,488
Intelligence: 1,000
Wisdom: 1,555
I leaned over and whispered, “How long can you stay in this form?”
“Five minutes tops,” he replied, not taking his eyes off Waldemar.
“Follow my lead. I have almost 1.5k more Dexterity than you and yet he’s still faster than me. Regardless, this just might work.”
“Got it.”
Time was limited, so there was no reason to hold back. My body battled the violence of my own power as 3x Fire Incubus Form overtook me. It became more bearable as the increase in channeling stabilized. With over 5,500 Strength and surpassing 5,000 Dexterity, I was ready to go all out, but it wasn’t without cost. If I didn’t finish him in 6 minutes, it would be all over.
