Beast realms 01, p.48
Beast Realms - 01, page 48
part #1 of Beast Realms Series
Cursed Bond (Stage 3)
40% damage dealt to your Beast is also dealt to you. 40% damage you receive is also dealt to your Beast.
(Removed on completion of mission: Inner Demons)
“You look like someone’s jump-roping on your grave, are you alright?” Nux asked as they followed Art’s stone map through the labyrinth, keeping their eyes peeled for hidden threats.
He hadn’t wanted to worry her before, in case he encouraged undue concern for his condition. If Nux knew the severity of his curse, maybe she’d try to protect him at the wrong time and end up putting herself or the team in danger.
“I’m alright, but once this is over, I need to deal with something,” Art said.
“Your Cursed Bond?”
“Yeah. I need to get it under control before we face Maxus.”
“It looks bad,” Nux said, grabbing Art’s wrist and pulling him down to a kneeling position. She inspected the wound. “It’s deep, and sort of festering with shadows. What caused it? You never really said.”
Art wasn’t sure he wanted to reveal the niggling worry he’d had since Nails took on her Dark Moth form. He didn’t really want to acknowledge what it might mean. But now that he’d seen Nails at her largest, with her vast, dark wings, the similarity was undeniable.
“There was a Beast in my life realm,” Art said. “I didn’t see it clearly, but it felt malign, evil. It surrounded us in shadows, like huge wings, and… I guess it’s just my senses reacting to the danger, but I was sure I could feel its hatred for me when I took Nails away.”
Nails played with Shadow Weaver, buzzing around his head as he tried to hit her with his webs.
Art sighed. “When Nails was in her largest form, she reminded me of the creature in my life realm.”
“What does that mean?” Nux asked, her hand on Art’s shoulder.
“I’m not sure. But maybe there’s something inside her, waiting to come out. It seems like it’s starting to emerge. I don’t want her to change.”
“Look at her!” Nux said, standing. Nails zipped underneath Shadow Weaver’s legs, squeaking, tapping his rear with her tail, circling around him as he tried to catch her. “She’s not evil, she’s not…” Nux impersonated Art’s depressed tone, “malign. She’s your Beast. You’ve helped her to be more than a regular shadow-bound Beast. Even if there is something dark inside her, you’ve kept that in control. I couldn’t imagine her hurting any of us, let alone you.”
Art stared at the small festering incision on Nails’ back and rubbed his own Cursed Bond wound.
“You’re right,” Art said, smiling. “If there is something darker inside her, that doesn’t matter. There’s more to her than that one thing. Nails is Nails.”
Nux nodded. “You’re probably worrying about nothing. And if something bad does happen, I know you’ll do what’s best.”
“I hope so.” Art checked his stone map. “We’re nearly there. Are you ready?”
“For what?”
“Whatever we have to face, as a team.”
Nux smiled. “Absolutely.”
Art was sure he’d followed his map correctly, but when Venom turned the next corner, they faced a dead end.
The wall ahead was as tall as the others but covered in a thick layer of creeping ivy. At the top of the wall, Art could see the bluish hue of the forcefield which covered the arena, their destination.
“This wall’s different to the others,” Nux said, her eyes white. “There’s some kind of mechanism within it, but there aren’t any switches or buttons that I can see.” She pulled at the ivy, cutting some of it away with her daggers. “Look, there’s something here…”
They tore the ivy away, removing enough that they could see a faded painting underneath: a man playing the lute, with musical notes pouring from his mouth. The painting was signed, Here lies Ovid, The Bard.
“Are we meant to know who this is?” Art asked.
“No idea. Is this definitely the right way?”
“Yes, so far we’ve been heading in the right direction. It seems like this wall is here for a reason, like we’re meant to get past it somehow.”
“But how…” Nux said, running her fingers over the painting, seeking a hidden mechanism which might cause the wall to slide away.
Ding! A lute note rang out from the wall.
“What did you do?” Art asked.
“It’s the lute he’s holding, look.” Nux touched one of the lute’s strings, and it played another note.
“A musical wall?” Art touched a string and it played a note. “Maybe we’re meant to play a tune.”
Nux examined the notes flying from the bard’s mouth. “My mom wanted me to study the piano. I took a few lessons, but I can’t remember anything about it. I don’t suppose you can read music?”
“I’m rusty, but my dad taught me guitar when I was little.”
The notes weren’t like those Art had studied. They rose and fell, but the symbols didn’t really make sense as music.
“It’s some other way of writing music, I’m not sure what it means,” Art said.
It seemed a peculiarly specific puzzle to have in a game like Beast Realms, Art thought. If players couldn’t read this certain musical writing style, how would they be able to proceed?
He touched a string on the lute, but it made no sound. He touched the next string. Nothing. On touching the third string, a note sounded.
“I wonder if it’s not real music, like it’s just an in-game puzzle which doesn’t require actual musical knowledge,” Art said.
Art tried again. The same string made a noise, but on the third touch of the string, it did nothing.
“It seems to reset when you make a mistake,” Nux said.
Art repeated the process, playing the same note twice, and the same note rang out twice. He tried a different string and it played a different note, but the puzzle turned silent when he fingered the string again.
“I think you’re right,” Art said. “We have to play the right notes, or it resets.”
He examined the painting more closely. The notes rose and dipped as they came from the bard’s mouth. The first two notes were high. The third was low. The fourth was in the middle. Art touched the lute’s high string twice and it played. He touched the low string, then a middle string, and they all played.
“Cracked it!” Art said happily. “The music is simpler than I thought, the height of each note represents a particular string on the lute.”
Art tapped the strings in the same order as the bard’s notes, and a happy tune played through the wall. He finished the melody and stood back.
“What now?” Nux asked.
A light, slightly echoing voice sang behind them: “Finally, you are here!”
The ghostly apparition was partly transparent with a blue and golden aura. It was the bard from the painting, cradling his lute like a baby.
The apparition continued to speak, its voice light and musical: “I hoped you might appear to me, and play my song that’s near to me, and dear to me. Oh, finally!”
“Are you the bard, Ovid?” Art asked.
“Ovid, Ovid, yes that’s me. You played my song, you set me free. Deep within, a trouble stirs. I lured it inside with my verse. I played my song, I sang my curse, my voice was bold, the monster hurt. When it was weakened, I closed the door. But it’s grown strong, it will be caged no more.”
“The Legendary Beast,” Nux said. “How do we reach it?”
“This wall is ancient; this wall is strong. There is no short cut, only long. A sacrifice of blood and bone, is what you need to break through stone.”
Ovid’s ghost held out his lute and plucked its strings, singing: “You must cut deep to pay the price. To reach your goal and defeat the Beast, make the ultimate sacrifice.”
Ovid’s lute shimmered and shifted, transforming into a dagger. He placed it on the ground, and his outline began to fade as he sang: “Not all ends are foretold. Be bold, my friends, be bold.”
The ghost disappeared, and his voice with it, but the dagger remained.
“The ultimate sacrifice of blood and bone.” Nux picked up the unearthly dagger. “As riddles go, that was pretty transparent. Just like Ovid!” She laughed.
“I’ll do it,” Art said, reaching for the dagger.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll do it.” Nux stepped back and turned the dagger on herself, placing its tip on her breastbone.
Art wrapped his tail around her wrist, pulling the dagger away from her chest, but Nux held onto the weapon.
“Let go!” Nux said. “You and Nails have a better chance of killing the Legendary Beast. It’s okay, I’ll wait for you at the inn.”
“I can heal, you can’t,” Art said. He grabbed Nux’s fingers and peeled them away, taking the dagger from her.
Nux crossed her arms. Her mimic appeared.
“What are you doing?” Art gasped as the mimic attacked him and he dropped the dagger, defending himself with his tail and leaping backward.
“Nobody tells me what to do,” Nux said, picking up the dagger and thrusting it into her heart.
Nux fell to her knees. Her mimic disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Art ran toward Nux, catching her as she fell forward. She coughed blood and her teeth were stained red, but she smiled as she closed her eyes.
Nux (dead)
“Damn it!” Art said, holding Nux’s body.
Nails landed on Nux’s back, chirping as if checking that she was okay, but she was a lifeless weight in Art’s arms.
Shadow Weaver hissed as he disappeared.
“There’s no way we can defeat a Legendary Beast without them…” Art said as Nux’s body faded. “They can’t get here without the scroll.”
Art stood, and the painted wall blocking his path opened. The blue forcefield behind and above it faded.
A colossal roar sounded in the distance, carried on a cold breeze.
“Well, we’ve got to try. Otherwise, Nux’s death was for nothing,” Art said to Nails.
Nails rose into the air, her wings beating. She snorted and smoke poured from her nostrils.
Woooooo, I’m a scary ghooooost, Nux’s voice sounded in Art’s head.
Art shuddered. “Where are you?”
Don’t piss your pants, Nux said, her ghostly visage appearing in front of him.
“Are you dead?” Art asked, passing his hand through Nux.
Hey, that’s not polite. Don’t you know anything about phantom etiquette? I died, but I didn’t lose experience or anything. My body’s coming back in… Nux’s eyes moved as she checked her UI, … thirty seconds. Seems the ultimate sacrifice isn’t that ultimate after all.
“Just a bit of casual psychological torture, then?”
I prefer to think of it as taking a bullet for the team. I thought it’d be fun to haunt you, but actually it’s pretty dull not having a body. Nux looked at the open passage. At least it worked. What did I miss?
“Just a monstrous roar, the usual,” Art said, smiling. He was relieved to have Nux back – their brief time apart, and the idea of fighting the Legendary Beast without her, had made him anxious.
Oh, here comes Shadow Weaver! Nux said, as her spider comrade phased into existence.
Nails flew to Shadow Weaver and they touched legs in greeting.
Nux’s ghostly outline filled with color as her body returned. She shivered and cricked her neck. “That was weird, but it gave me a new skill: Ovid’s Spirit Shield. If I cut my hand with my dagger, I can create a temporary shield. It’s not indestructible and it doesn’t last long, but it sounds useful. Wanna see?”
Nux drew her dagger and held it against her palm.
“I think I’ve seen enough of your insides for now.”
Another roar sounded along the newly opened passageway.
“Suit yourself,” Nux said. She sheathed her dagger and they walked cautiously along the passageway, toward the open arena at the center of the labyrinth.
With Ovid’s blue barrier removed, the route to the arena – a straight passageway with an opening at the end – was clear. Venom waited for their mana and HP to fully recover, before deciding to continue.
Nux opened a portal in front of Venom, and another inside the small part of the area which they could see from their position, and they peered through it.
“It’s just a grassy arena, like for sports games,” Art said. “No Legendary Beast nests, no heads on spikes, no mountains of gold.”
“I’ll look through.” Nux poked her head through her portal, looking left, and then right.
A shadow appeared above Nux’s head. Art grabbed her and yanked her backward as an enormous golden double ax sliced down, cutting into the ground.
“I think we’ve found the Legendary Beast,” Art said.
Art watched the Legendary Beast from afar. It had a human-like body and a bull’s head. Even at a distance, it looked like a giant. At least ten feet tall, it was all muscle and horns and rage. It pulled its golden double ax from the ground and held it aloft with a single hand, snorting as it paced around, looking for something to kill.
“I don’t think it knows where we are, yet,” Art whispered.
Nux closed her portal. “Let’s get closer but spread out so it doesn’t spot us all at once. If it sees you, hide. The others can attack from behind.”
Venom sneaked closer whilst the Legendary Beast explored the arena with its back turned. Art and Nails crept to the left side of the arena, whilst Nux and Shadow Weaver traveled right.
In his Shadow Form, Art blended into the shadows with ease. He examined their enemy as it patrolled the large battleground:
Minotaur – Legendary Beast, Level 20
Weakness: magical attacks
Strength: physical attacks
The Minotaur roared, waving its golden double ax in the air and snorting. It pounded its hoofed foot against the ground, cracking the earth.
Art was glad that his Intelligence was still high enough to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the Legendary Beast, but the results weren’t exactly good news.
Nux’s voice sounded glumly in Art’s head: Art. Neither of us has magic. In fact, I’m pretty much a physical attack specialist, and so is Shadow Weaver. Maybe bonus shadow damage and poison damage will help.
Art flexed his claws, which seethed with shadows. Let’s focus on that. If we can inflict enough poison and shadow damage, maybe we can disorient it and retreat, and it will die from its wounds.
The Minotaur walked toward Art, the ground shaking with each step it took.
Do you have a plan, then? Nux said telepathically.
First, distract it with a mimic. Then, Nails can use Putrid Dust to fog its vision and hit it with some shadow damage, and I’ll deafen it with Howl so it can’t hear us. We’ll surround it and you can attack with shadow bolts from afar. If it comes out, I’ll use my claws for melee and shadow damage. You try to take it from behind whilst I distract it from the front.
The Minotaur sniffed the air and the ring through its bullish nose jangled. It turned toward Art.
Nux. NOW! Art transmitted.
Nux’s mimic appeared and dashed toward the Minotaur. It leapt into the air and drove its shadow daggers down onto the Beast’s back. But the blades didn’t pierce its skin, and they disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
The mimic clung to the Legendary Beast’s back but its Halfling arms were barely able to reach around the Minotaur’s trunk-like neck. The Minotaur spun, trying to swat the mimic away like a persistent fly.
“Nails, fly above the Minotaur and use Putrid Dust,” Art whispered.
Nails flew high over the Minotaur, gushing black-green gas and dust down on the arena.
The Minotaur roared as the gas expanded. Art stood and released a powerful Howl, and the wolfish cry echoed around the large arena.
He stared at the Minotaur as Nails’ Putrid Dust thickened and darkened:
Minotaur (deafened)
Nux. We got it! Art transmitted.
Yeah, but Nails’ skill is killing my mimic, too.
Then hit it with everything you’ve got!
Portals opened above the dust cloud and several web bombs passed through them, exploding near the Minotaur. The portals moved and shadow bolts flew through them. The Minotaur bellowed as the bolts hit their target.
Clever! By firing through portals she’s not giving away her exact location.
Nails’ Putrid Dust began to clear. The Minotaur stood with its shoulders heaving and nostrils flared, but webbed up in the residue of Shadow Weaver’s bombs.
My turn…
Art initiated Blur and shadows covered him. He ran toward the Minotaur, the arena smudging as he accelerated with incredible speed.
The Minotaur’s eyes flashed blood red and it shrugged the webs from its muscular arms and legs. Red mists seeped from its eyes, forming armor around its body, arms and legs. It stampeded out from Nails’ thinning fogs, seemingly unaffected; its horned head lowered as it charged Art.
It was quicker than Art expected, and with Blur in use, they clashed before Art had time to react.
Art took the full brunt of the Minotaur’s headbutt, flying backward and crashing into the labyrinth walls which surrounded the arena. Nails cried out as she received damage from their Cursed Bond. Art checked the damage he’d received from the powerful blow:
Damage taken: 40
Art’s HP: 85/ 125
Art’s ribs clicked as they began to mend, but his vision swayed and his breath was knocked out of him. The Minotaur’s footsteps rumbled toward Art as he stood to defend himself, but he knew he couldn’t dodge the Minotaur’s golden ax as it swung for his head.
Nux slashed her hand and Ovid’s blue barrier appeared in front of Art, stopping the ax blade dead. The Minotaur turned and snorted at Nux as she fired shadow bolts toward the red-mist-covered Beast.
