Plague Tank: A LitRPG Adventure (Getting Hard Book 2), page 41
One minute to go.
My mind raced for alternatives if Kezo and Nitana didn’t make it. We couldn’t fail—that was against the existence of Herald Stone, a scientific impossibility, an inconsistent reality. We were going to finish both of Bawu’s quests in the name of getting hard!
I should go for the backup plan and prepare a backup for the backup plan. This was a gamble. I was stacking my [Ancestral Constitution] when I heard hooves. The steps weren’t in rhythm. Two people galloping.
“They’re coming!” Megan said.
Barely in time. Is this the power of friendship?
I looked up at the boss. Its health regenerated past thirty percent. I narrowed my eyes. “Megan, prepare for the backup plan!”
“Herald, we’re here!” Kezo showed up first, blood-covered swords at the ready. His ghost buddy roared as it phased through the walls, brandishing golden swords.
“Sorry for the delay,” Nitana said, running right behind Kezo. “Some village guards in the way.”
They charged at the group of Vinereavers and attacked simultaneously.
KABOOM! BO-BOOM!
I squinted as multiple flashes of different colors filled the cavern. I set my sights on seven health bars close together. They remained visible despite the blinding light. Kezo and Nitana’s health bar drained to zero before disappearing. The remaining five—that of Mon Aleh and company—also went down.
Down and down.
And stopped—less than five percent.
“Megan!” I shouted. “Do it! Sacrifice yourself and finish the boss!”
CHAPTER
FORTY-NINE
Megan was already prepared before I finished talking. As the colorful flares faded, another source of light emerged. Megan’s wands radiated a purple aura. She drew magical symbols in the air.
Thorns came her way. Her life was much reduced by repeatedly summoning her [Spell Bonded Totem]. She still wasn’t finished casting her spell—she might die!
Herald to the rescue!
I rushed to block the thorns with a Totem. I didn’t have time to summon a second one. The [Superior Replicant Totem] faded after stopping a thorn. Two other thorns continued and hit Megan.
She survived. Barely.
The purple symbols floating in front of Megan formed a circle. She pointed her wands at the ring and fired a thin beam. A whirlwind of purple fire burst forth on the other side of the circle. It swirled around the tower of stacked Vinereavers, howling like a tornado.
“We’re going to win!” Megan squealed with excitement. “We’re going to—”
She was gone.
The storm of purple flames dissolved, leaving dozens of tiny embers frolicking on the vines reminiscent of festive lights on a Christmas tree. The spell Megan used had a Burn effect, the same as many Mardukryon skills. The Burn wasn’t needed. The health bars of all five Vinereavers had hit zero.
“Yes! We won!” I continued Megan’s cheering. A glance at the quest details of Scraping for Samples III told me we had twenty seconds remaining to gather all required materials. “We won—No!”
Where were the notifications? Nothing about the loot dropped by the diseased plants or the completed quests. Vines still wiggled in the air, dozens of eyes darted in their sockets, and frothing mouths gnashed their sharp teeth—the stubborn weeds were alive!
It looked like they had zero health points, but a minuscule amount remained, nearly invisible on their lengthy health bars. Megan didn’t manage to take out that one last bit. The Burn status kept the Vinereavers’ health from going back up—a delicate balance between DoT and regeneration. That was what fooled me.
White noise buzzed in my ear as I became hyper-focused. Everything slowed down. How long would the Burn last?
I had to act before it expired.
Time for the backup plan of the backup plan, which wasn’t really much of a plan but more of a desperate gamble as I had no more options.
As attacks came, I replenished my health with [Healing Touch], then repeatedly whipped myself with my sling while avoiding the vines and lasers, switching back to a shield after capping [Ancestral Constitution] stacks.
The many eyes of the Vinereavers focused on me, their last target.
I protected myself with [Greater Pyro Shell] as I drank a bottle of [Morabodry]. I followed it up with [Penitent Fortune Healing], inflicting myself with [Penitent Misfortune]. With that, I had two stacks of protection from [Cleansing Flames]. A pity I couldn’t add more, but this would have to do.
It must do!
I noted where the lasers were going to hit, chose a safe spot, and then stopped moving. One… two…
Mon Aleh, the strongest of the weed brothers, brought a thorny vine down at me. I cast [Withering Brand] on the descending tendril. And three… The buff of [Band of Loamy Renewal] kicked in.
Think of a cool line, think of a cool line! I urged myself as I raised both my shields. The vine crashed on my protective barrier. “Eat my juicy ancestral ass!”
BOOM!
[ Quest Completed: Scraping for Samples III ]
[ Quest Completed: Clearing Operations III ]
[ Increased: Player Level to 20! ]
[ Increased: Molten Corium Level to 3 ]
[ Loot: 8,823 Artas, (77) Toxic Goop, (2) Little Golden Eye, (6) Vinereaver Prickle, (5) Vine of Possession, (3) Obsidian Shard ]
[ Loot: 23,250 Artas, (148) Toxic Goop, (4) Little Golden Eye, (12) Vinereaver Prickle, (9) Vine of Possession, (8) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract ]
[ Loot: 24,100 Artas, (147) Toxic Goop, (5) Little Golden Eye, (11) Vinereaver Prickle, (10) Vine of Possession, (8) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract, Blighted Crown of Vinereaver’s Revenge{2} ]
[ Loot: 22,900 Artas, (151) Toxic Goop, (4) Little Golden Eye, (13) Vinereaver Prickle, (9) Vine of Possession, (7) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract ]
[ Loot: 23,370 Artas, (145) Toxic Goop, (6) Little Golden Eye, (12) Vinereaver Prickle, (11) Vine of Possession, (7) Obsidian Shard, (1) Blighted Vinereaver Extract, Blighted Tendrils of Vinereaver’s Revenge ]
“Herald Stone is victorious!” I raised my arms and performed a celebratory tap dance that’d make the crimson goat proud.
After all, I’ve had plenty of practice while dealing with that blasted herbivore. My legs didn’t get entangled while beating a tune with my hooves pounding the ground. The blurry reddishness that obscured my vision gradually lessened as my regeneration pushed my health out of the danger zone.
“Scientific proof that Stone beats plant!” I declared.
The Vinereavers shriveled after they died, green goo pouring out of their eyes and mouths. Their bloated tendrils rapidly shrunk like vegetables sun-dried in fast forward. Even the vines on the floors, walls, and ceiling withered and crumbled. Chunks of petrified plants rained. The Vinereavers disintegrated, falling off the generator in the middle of the room, revealing a partially destroyed machine that sputtered electric sparks and smoke.
Goal #1—I will become the best tank, crush everyone, and remain standing after every battle.
And would you look at that? Who was left alive after the battle?
Yours truly, the Great Herald Stone.
Granted, I was the last standing, not due to my tankiness but because all my party mates sacrificed themselves for the win. Let’s ignore that minor technicality. There was no point sweating the details.
Here I stand, hard and proud, and no one else was around.
On a serious note, living was a surprise. I was confident I could survive a single vine slap with my buffs up. That attack would pop my [Greater Pyro Shell] to deal the final blow. What I worried about was the aftermath—would the blast from my popped shell trigger the Vinereaver’s retribution and reflect? That was the gambling part.
Seeing I was a scootch away from death after the fight, the answer was a big yes.
It would’ve been game over if I didn’t have a couple of stacks of the passive of [Cleansing Flame]. I didn’t get Burned while whipping myself with [Mehubanarath’s Old Sling] for another stack; that was probably asking for too much. I was already lucky to find a three-second window to stand still and activate [Band of Loamy Renewal] for more tankiness.
As the excitement died, I sifted through my notifications, starting with the last.
This was the first time I’d seen this many all at once. I was usually irritated if a deluge of emails arrived simultaneously, but this was a welcome flood of messages.
Leveling [Molten Corium] didn’t matter much.
Lvl. 3 Molten Corium: Ancestral Flames thread through the skin of Aritu practitioners, granting them (+24% Fire Resistance) and (+7% Fire Resistance Cap). Being of such untold purity, the Ancestral Flames also warp (12% of all incoming non-Fire damage) and convert them to the Fire Element.
The Greater and Lesser Skill Points from reaching level twenty were impactful. I wasn’t sure where to invest my GSP—[Ancestral Constitution] or [Cleansing Flames]?
Then came the best part—the loot. Each of the Vinereavers separately dropped loots!
“Kezo was right,” I muttered, noting the massive amounts of [Toxic Goop].
The quests were indeed connected. I had a little over five hundred extra [Toxic Goop] and three extra [Blighted Vinereaver Essence]. Was this a result of doing this quest as a party?
One batch of drops had fewer items compared to the four others. That must be from Mon Aleh. The lead Vinereaver had more than ten levels above mine and was thusly affected by the level gap penalty compared to the rest of its weed buddies around the level twenties. I surmised Mon Aleh’s level was fixed as a mini-boss, while the remaining Vinereavers adjusted to the quest holder’s level to guarantee drops.
During the fight, I considered this possible problem and thought of telling Megan to leave the party so we wouldn’t divide the loot, but it wasn’t necessary because she died anyway.
My eyes fell on two pieces of equipment.
What was this [Blighted Crown of Vinereaver’s Revenge {2}] and [Blighted Tendrils of Vinereaver’s Revenge]? Were these the same items Jensen was farming from Mon Aleh?
Couldn’t be. They had ‘Blighted’ in their names.
What if they were exclusive quest versions of an item?
I was about to open my inventory when popping noises made me stop. It was like a car engine backfiring.
I gazed up at the towering generator. Smoke coming out of it increased, filling the ceiling like thunderclouds. Angry tongues of electricity licked the walls and ceiling, turning the entire place into a disco ball.
“I’m too important to die like this!” I galloped to the door, boosting my speed with [Horde Stampede].
But the game had other things in mind.
Massive clumps of vines fell right in front of the exit, blocking my way. I reared up on my legs and stomped on the vines, bringing my body weight down to break them. It didn’t work. I was trapped. “What the hell? Is this a scripted death?”
The game answered me with an explosion.
CHAPTER
FIFTY
I opened my eyes. It was dim and blurry, but rocks and dirt were next to my face. I was on the floor, so I tried to stand up.
I couldn’t. My body felt very heavy.
Was I still in the game? Did I fall off my bed while playing and hit my head?
I tried reaching out—charcoal-like skin with glowing ember veins. Still in the game.
Casting [Cleansing Flames] to remove any negative status keeping me down didn’t work. Neither did [Healing Touch] have any effect.
What in blazing meatballs is going on? That was what I wanted to say, but I also couldn’t speak. It was like I was Petrified.
Approaching hooves, heavy plodding feet, and some raking sound.
“My dear youngling!” a voice croaked. “I was right to come to find you.”
Bullshit mandatory defeat, I thought before everything went black.
I woke up again.
This time in a room with many different colored lights. A couple of Mandrake Borple were by my side. One held a small item that might be a medicine dropper. The other balanced a large bottle on its mushroom cap.
The bottle was familiar. If I wasn’t mistaken, it was Bawu’s priceless healing elixir.
I pushed myself up. The Mandrake Borples retreated.
The Carrion Golem was to my right, while the Chimera Borpillar was to my left. A very long table was in front of me carrying beakers, test tubes, cauldrons, and plenty of other alchemical paraphernalia, some I’d seen at Arakmad’s shop. Several large glass containers filled with [Toxic Goop] were on the left end. Bawu was behind the table conducting experiments.
“You’re finally awake, dear youngling,” she said. She wiped her hands on her dirty robes and trotted around the table to get to me. Considering the table’s length and her labored shuffling, it took her several seconds to reach my side.
Dear youngling? Good Grandma Bawu?
I made the deal about the locations of the Saurians with her evil persona. Would Good Grandma Bawu remember our agreement?
“Are you feeling well?” she asked. “You were in sorry shape when I found you.”
“As healthy as the day I was born,” I said. “I was a healthy baby, according to my mother. Anyway, I have cleared the source of the Blight and also collected the materials you needed.”
“Splendid news! I’m grateful for your aid, dear youngling. These old bones of mine are so creaky, like a loose floorboard, and my back isn’t as strong as it used to be.”
“Does changing into your other persona give you a calcium boost?” I asked. Evil Grandma Bawu stood straight and walked just fine. “Maybe what they say about the mind affecting our health is true.” Even if Good Grandma Bawu was hunched, she was still taller than me.
Or was she?
There was something off I couldn’t quite pinpoint. I stepped closer to Bawu and compared our heights. We were about the same height. Our hooves were on the same level, and she wasn’t bent more than usual.
“Did I… Did I get taller?” Then I answered my own question. “Looks like I did.”
“You are a youngling,” Bawu said. “Growth spurts are common.”
“Must be when I reached level twenty.” Looking down at my body, I chuckled, noting that my gear had adjusted to my new size. One-size fits all armor. Quite convenient.
“I have elixirs infused with bone-growth hormones,” Bawu continued. “Worry not, for your muscles will adapt to longer bones accordingly in a few weeks…”
I wasn’t listening to her, too busy admiring my longer tusks and horns. Like human noses that were always in our field of vision but automatically ignored by our brains, I could see my tusks and horns but didn’t immediately notice their length. Growing longer and harder—the way of Herald Stone!
“…for helping this old lady clean her home, your reward will be—”
“You’re talking about rewards?” That word got my attention. I rubbed my hands together; I felt obligated to do it. “Please, no bone-growth hormones.”
“I have my spare things to give such a helpful youngling like you.”
[ Received: (25) Frigid Yew Salve, (30) Nam-Go Poison Bottle, Ocadule Link Shard: Arcane Poison Empowerment ]
“Giving away stuff you don’t want as the reward again? A common trait between your two personas, I see.”
More Nam-Go bottles and salves that I could make myself. Very underwhelming. Would’ve been better if Bawu gave me other kinds of poisons for convenient [Cleansing Flames] stacking. I ought to look for ways to do it other than poison. Perhaps Clement had food buffs with downsides.
I hoped this Link Shard was worth the trouble of cleaning up the Blight outbreak.
“Hang on… a Relic Link Shard?” My eyes widened at the new Shard in my inventory. “Thank you so much, ever-generous Bawu! You’re the best! Has anyone ever told you that? Now, I did.”
Lvl. 1 Arcane Poison Empowerment (Link): Arcane Brewers, armed with ancient knowledge, could enhance the power of Skill Shards, imbuing them with enchanted Poison. Increase the level of one (1) damage-dealing linked Skill Shard by one (1). All linked Skill Shard gain (15%) of their non-Poison damage as extra Poison Damage—casting cost of the linked Skill Shard will increase by (7%).
This was the first Link Shard I’d seen that added a level to its supported Shard. I was sure there were others, but they must be rare because I hadn’t seen any at the auction house. Understandable that most players would hold on to their level-modifying Link Shards rather than sell them—they were essentially free Lesser Skill Points.
Why would anyone say no to more LSPs?
Best to link [Arcane Poison Empowerment] to [Greater Pyro Shell]. It had not only one but two more useful effects that synergized well with my barrier skill.
A supported [Greater Pyro Shell] would gain Poison damage that scaled with its formula. Furthermore, the increased casting cost—likely meant as a penalty to balance the buffs—was actually a buff to [Greater Pyro Shell]. The ‘life’ of the shell depended on the amount of Ancestral Shroud used to cast it. More AS translated to a thicker shell. More protection and at the same time more damage.
Call animal protection services! So many birds getting hit by a single stone!
There was the issue of replenishing AS, but it wouldn’t be too bothersome. The important thing was that my unboxlike mind found a benefit where others would only see a downside. I’d have to check how many free levels a maxed [Arcane Poison Empowerment] would give.
After reading the description of [Arcane Poison Empowerment], my eyes wandered over my inventory. The equipment dropped by the Blighted Vinereavers caught my attention. I didn’t get to examine them earlier because the disrespectful explosion caused me to faint.
Blighted Crown of Vinereaver’s Revenge {2} | Item Level: 20
Relic | Heavy Armor | Helmet
