The Wolves Ch. 037

[Nah, just the usual stuff,] Mason answered.

[So, what? One more chamber like this left?]

[Should be,] Ben replied. [Two at most, I would think.]

[Okay, let's get going. Perhaps we'll actually find a challenge this time.]

I heard Ben laugh from behind me. [I don't think anything is going to be much of a challenge with you in that form. It's comical watching you toss monsters around.]

The distance between chambers was pretty small, so we ended up making it to the fourth chamber pretty quickly. Looking inside we saw that everything was even bigger in this chamber. The chieftain was probably seven foot tall by now, with the rest of them being a few inches shorter. The chieftain was wielding battle axe, while the warriors were wielding a variety of weapons, though two-handed weapons were the norm.

There was only one more kobold in the room, bringing the total up to twenty-three, but I was confident that we'd be able to deal with them easily enough. Mason had to summon his Earth Elemental, so we waited until that was finished before Mason led the way. I didn't waste any time running into Blink range. Deciding to do something new, I Blinked forward and just barreled into the chieftain, knocking him down. I used the small amount of time it gave me to start cutting into the shamans who were behind him, killing two of the three, before turning back towards the chieftain.

He was already back on his feet, barking out orders before shouting something else as he was enveloped in a haze, actually growing a foot or so. He grinned at me before disappearing completely. Two can play that game, I thought, activating both the camouflage ability I got for scanning Selalea's son, as well as Precognition so I would know where he was going to strike.

I used the time to finish off the shaman, neatly chopping his head off while he was in the middle of casting something. I soon found out that it wasn't me who the chieftain was targeting.

[Sonja, move!]

I saw the chieftain appear right behind her, his axe already swinging, but she turned into lightning and was already moving. I Blinked and grabbed onto his axe before he could disappear again, punching him in the face and sending him on his ass.

Precognition deactivated when I ran out of mana to sustain it, which proved to be the worst possible time. Grinning up at me, he reached down to a sheathe on his leg and withdrew a dagger. Grabbing it with both hands, he impaled himself through the heart, immediately killing himself.

[Oh fuck, the chieftain just killed himself!] I sent to my friends.

Turning around, I Blinked again, appearing between a group of five enraged Kobold Warriors. Grabbing the back of two of their heads, I lifted them up and smashed them together, their heads popping like melons. Dropping them I activated my swords, tearing into the remaining three, killing them quickly thanks to my new weapon and my greatly-enhanced strength.

Turning, I looked for more kobolds to fight. Spotting two archers standing side by side firing arrows at Mason, I Blinked behind them, thrusting my swords into their backs, causing them to immediately go limp. It seemed like all the other kobolds were dealt with, so I waited for the corpses of the two archers to disappear so I could loot anything left behind.

[You said that chieftain killed himself? Why the hell would he do that?] Anja asked.

[I've only heard of it happening when a chieftain thinks he is outclassed, but that's usually when a high level adventurer enters a low level dungeon.] Ben said. [Maybe he thought he wouldn't be able to beat Jonathan so he killed himself to give the remaining kobolds a chance?]

[That could be the case, but why didn't the other chieftains do the same thing? Does that mean I'll have to physically restrain chieftains now to stop them from doing that too?]

[You might have to,] Anja said with a laugh. [Either that or use your human form, or your hybrid form. You have to admit that things are pretty easy with you in that form.]

[I do enjoy it. Maybe I'll go with my hybrid form when we get to the sixth floor. I'd rather not have to sit on chieftains or fight enraged kobolds.]

*****

Making sure we collected all the loot, we made our way down the passageway before coming up to a small chamber that had two other paths leading into it, likely the paths that had the archer and shaman training areas. There was also a set of large double doors, which had a bunch of kobolds carved into it. It looked like there were three Kobold Warriors, two Kobold Archers, one Kobold Shaman, and a massive Kobold Chieftain standing behind them. Seeing the image, it really made me wonder if that was what we would be facing on the other side of the doors. If it was, then Ben was bang on the money.

I didn't see any door handles on this side, so I just walked up to the doors and pushed on them. They glided open revealing nothing but darkness, but if it was anything like previous boss rooms then torches would light up the room as soon as we entered. Making sure we were good to go, we walked into the room.

The doors closed behind us automatically before the room lit up. There was a massive kobold sitting on what was essentially a throne. It was hard to tell exactly how big he was, but he was much bigger than the other six kobolds who were making their way towards the middle of the room to stand between us and him. The kobolds definitely looked like elites, being bigger and looking meaner than the kobolds we had fought previously.

The three Kobold Warriors were each wielding different weapons, with one using a war hammer, one dual wielding a pair of cutlasses, and the last one wielding a two-handed battle axe that looked like a smaller version of the one that was leaning on the boss' throne. All three of them were wearing mail armor, though the warrior that was dual wielding had lighter armor than his counterparts.

The Kobold Archers were equipped and dressed identically, with large wooden longbows that were as tall as they were. Their leather armor looked better than the stuff other rangers were wearing, but wasn't anything special. Interestingly, it was the Kobold Shaman who looked different from others he has seen, but that was primarily because it was a female.

Kobolds didn't seem to have any breasts, but she was more slender in appearance in addition to having a shorter snout. She wasn't wearing much armor, or clothing in general, wearing only wristguards and a leather skirt. She was also wearing a bunch of necklaces as well as a skull helmet with feathers fanning out behind it. We knew not to underestimate her as she had definitely gone through a lot of combat, beating out many other competitors to get to where she was now.

None of the kobolds made any moves, they just grouped up with the warriors in front and waited.

[What's the deal with the female?] Mason asked.

[For some reason female kobolds are prevented from being a number of classes, those being warriors and chieftains along with a few others at higher levels. They can be archers, shamans and assassins, though the males usually beat them on floors like this one. It is very rare that a female is able to fight her way into being one of the boss' protectors. It means that she is easily the strongest shaman we've come across so far. Her spells will be more potent, and her buff effects will probably be increased as well.]

[I'm assuming that the warriors and archers will enrage if we kill the shaman?] I asked.

[That's right,] Ben nodded. [We have to deal with the exact same abilities, they're just stronger versions.]

[So do we have to fight the boss at the same time we fight the other six, or do we fight the boss after the six.]

[The first one. He's probably just waiting until we cross an invisible line and he'll get up.]

[I guess I'll keep him busy, then. Can the four of you deal with the other six without the use of the elementals?]

[We should be,] Anja said. [We've been pretty good at fighting over twenty enemies at once, these six shouldn't be a problem.]

[Alright, let me know if you need help. Are we ready to go?]

[I think so,] Ben nodded. [Just keep in mind that it is possible, and likely that the warriors and archers have attacks that will bypass your shield, so don't rely on it to protect you.]

[Got it. Okay, let's go,] I said extending my weapons and walking forward.

The Kobold High Chieftain rose as soon as we all crossed a certain threshold, grabbing his battle axe and walking forward. We hadn't been able to tell exactly how big he was while he was sitting, but now that he was standing it was clear that he was just as tall as I was in my dragonkin form, if not a little taller.

He was wearing a plate cuirass, but the rest of his armor looked to be high quality leather. It was clear that he was heavily muscled, that extending to his tail that was longer and thicker than any of the other kobolds. He barked out a command and the shaman began casting a spell. When she was done, a red haze enveloped them all, slightly increasing their size.

The boss immediately barked another command, and the three warriors started running forward while the archers started loosing arrows. We all spread out while I put up Mana Shield and began sprinting towards the boss. The warriors looked like they wanted to stop me, but the boss said something I couldn't understand and they all went around. It was fine with me.

I Blinked the remaining distance hoping to surprise him, but Quick Slash connected with nothing but air. He moved impossibly fast, appearing directly to my right, his axe already in motion. I Blinked again and that started a game of cat and mouse. Neither of us could land a hit on one another, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. Blink's mana cost increased with every use within a certain amount of time, and the boss didn't seem to want to give me that time.

I activated Precognition just before Blinking and then turned to where I knew the boss would be appearing from next. Collapsing my left sword, I let go and reached up, ready to catch his axe as he tried to bring it down on me, while thrusting forward with my cutlass. The boss reappeared, a brief look of alarm on his face before he reacted, letting go of his axe and dodging out of the way of my strike. He grabbed onto his axe and ripped it out of my hand, causing me to stumble forward.

He used the time to activate Penetrating Chop, requiring me to use Blink again. His axe impacted the floor, shaking the cavern floor and creating a huge rent. He pulled his axe free and turned, though not towards me. He shouted and leaped towards my friends, targeting Anja. I didn't need to warn her. She disappeared into smoke, reappearing behind her sister just as the boss appeared where she had previously been standing.

[I think we're going to need to deal with the elites before we can fight the boss!] I sent. [He's too fast for me!]

[Switch off with me, I should be able to keep him busy!] Sonja sent, immediately turning and using Triple Shot. The boss's back was to her, so the first arrow lodged itself in the bosses shoulder, while the remaining two simply seemed to bounce off, his scales turning a silvery color, looking like metal.

[Are you sure?]

[Yes! Go take care of the archers! They're causing a bunch of problems.]

I turned towards the archers who were having a field day. They were firing at Mason and Ben primarily, as they were both stationary targets most of the time. Having Mana Shield up, they only had to dodge when a Penetrating Shot was being fired their way. I took out a weapon I hadn't used recently before using Blink to appear behind one of the archers. Thrusting forward, I used Barbed Spear before ripping it back out causing the archer to begin bleeding, before following it up with a Gash to do extra damage. Or trying to, at least.

The archer tumbled forward, dodging my attack while holding a hand to its injury and yelling something. A blue-green haze encompassed him, and I realized that the shaman was healing the injury. Looking around, I saw that Mason was locked in combat with two of the warriors while Anja was dealing with the rest. None of the warriors were injured, which meant that the shaman was healing any damage we had been able to do.

I spun, finding the shaman a short distance away. She was in the middle of channeling a spell, but well within Barbed Spear range. I activated the ability, my spear magically extending and piercing through her gut before dragging her back towards me. I channeled mana into the shield strapped to my arm and hit her with a Shield Bash, stunning her and stopping the spell she was channeling.

As soon as she was stunned, I stopped channeling mana into my spear and my shield so they collapsed and then gripped my cutlass in both hands. Using all my strength, I swung my sword, aiming for her neck. I felt something impact Mana Shield, but didn't feel any pain so I knew it was probably a regular attack from one of the archers. I continued my attack, striking the shaman and cutting through her neck like a hot knife through butter. Her head went rolling across the floor, but unfortunately that just pissed off the other kobolds, and the boss in particular.

I turned as he roared and saw him leaping towards me, his axe raised overhead and glowing red. I rolled to the side, barely dodging the attack while picking up my spear and reactivating it, thrusting forward using Barbed Spear. I would have liked to hit him somewhere in the chest, but he was too well armored there, instead opting to go with a leg.

He bellowed and reached for the offending object, but I had already ripped it free, causing him to begin bleeding. It seemed like he didn't have a way to heal the injury, as he ripped his axe free and turned towards me. I had gotten back to my feet while he was preoccupied, and put my spear away, going back to dual wielding swords.

The boss had raised his axe above his head and was bringing it down on me once again. I raised one of my swords up to block it, but it seemed that I had greatly underestimated his strength. I managed to deflect it slightly, but the attack struck my Mana Shield, draining my mana completely, dropping the shield. He grinned and stepped into a punch, aiming for my stomach.

My armor weakened the punch slightly, but it still hurt, driving all the air from my lungs. Surprising us both, a jet of fire accompanied that air, scorching the boss but not doing any real damage.

*****

Earth

Spectre Base, Canadian Rockies

August 17, 2019

11:40 PDT (14:40 EDT)

"Did he just--"

"Breathe fire? Yes he did!" Selalea answered, clapping her hands excitedly. "It's not very effective against a kobold, but at least he was able to do it. Will he be able to replicate it? I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"Is that the only resistance they have? Or do they have some protection from other elements?" Tich asked as the group watched Jonathan strike with one of his swords. The angle wasn't very good, so it just glanced off the boss' plate cuirass.

"Just fire. If he had breathed lightning or acid, it likely would have done a lot of damage," she answered, her eyes glued to the screen.

Jonathan had Blinked behind the boss, dodging an underhand strike and launching an attack of his own. He targeted the boss' left hamstring, seemingly cutting through part of it before the boss' skin turned metal once again, stopping all forward movement. Jonathan ripped the sword free, Blinking again when the boss turned around, and targeted the same hamstring when the boss' skin turned back to normal. This time he was able to sever the muscle, dropping the boss down to one knee.

*****

Earth

Hillside Lake Dungeon, Ontario

August 17, 2019

14:42 EDT

(Sonja)

A loud bellow of pain sounded throughout the chamber, causing everyone to look over to where Jonathan was standing behind the boss, who was kneeling on the floor. He seemed to be struggling to get up, which triggered the remaining Kobold Warriors to abandon their attacks and run towards him and Jonathan. The Kobold Archer didn't need to move, so he just began firing arrows at Jonathan as fast as he could.

We were wondering why Jonathan killed the Kobold Shaman, but it came clear when the first warrior fell to the combined effort of Anja and Mason, followed by one of the archers falling to one of my arrows.. They had all gotten much stronger and faster after the shaman had fallen, with me having to use all my tools just to avoid attacks by the warrior who had decided to chase me around. Luckily I was able to immobilize him with Tethering Shot or incapacitate him by traveling through him using Ride the Lightning, which I did on multiple occasions.

It still only offered me a brief respite, the warrior having overcome the effects rather quickly. There were a few times that my sister had to warn me, but I was always able to move out of the way in time, thanks in most part to my high agility. As well as increasing the strength of my ranged attacks, it also allowed me to react much more quickly to incoming attacks.

I had been helping with one of the warriors when the boss shouted, so I turned, firing off a Tethering Shot in its path before turning to deal with the archer. Everyone else followed the warriors as they ran towards the boss, though I noticed that my hands were glowing red. Knowing that Aura of Bloodlust was active, I activated Rapid Fire to increase the speed of my attacks even more, before activating Triple Shot.

I fired off three consecutive arrows faster than I could even see, before following it up by a Siphoning Shot immediately after. The three arrows from Triple shot impacted the archers back just as the fourth was loosed. I had aimed for his head with the last arrow, but the three previous impacts sent him stumbling forward, so it missed entirely. Still, the three arrows did a lot of damage and slowed him down a lot, so I began firing arrows down range as fast as they appeared in my hands.

The archer was seriously struggling, finally falling after four more arrows struck it in the back. I used Ride the Lightning to appear beside it, an arrow already nocked before firing it at its head at close range, making sure it was dead. Mason had decided to attack the warrior that had ran into my Tethering Shot, so I decided to leave him to it. Running forward, I fired arrows as I moved, targeting the warrior who was fighting Anja while Jonathan contended with the boss.

While the kobolds were stronger and faster while being enraged, they weren't tougher than they were originally. In fact, they were probably easier to deal with because the shaman wasn't able to heal their injuries almost as soon as they happened. Anja used Shadow Step when she saw my arrows in the air, appearing behind Ben before firing off Ice Shards from a distance.

Ben wasn't able to contribute as much as he would probably like, as all but one of his offensive abilities dealt fire damage. That didn't mean he was useless. He was another body that enemies had to worry about, and he was able to deal damage as well as drain his targets mana using Chaos Bolt, as he was currently doing to the warrior Anja and I were in the process of fighting.

After about fifteen seconds of our combined assault, the second warrior fell, leaving Mason fighting the last one. Looking over, the warrior was clearly on his last legs, moving slowly while Mason practically danced around him. Wanting to finish it off so we could help Jonathan with the boss, I activated Triple Shot once more, sending arrows down range. There was quite a spread on the three arrows, the first hitting him in the chest while the second and third hit him in the neck and head, respectively. He dropped like a rock and Mason nodded over to me before looking over to the boss and activating Whirling Leap.