Nova terra kingbreaker t.., p.46
Nova Terra: Kingbreaker (The Titan Series Book 3), page 46
“You know, the more I think about this, the more I think that Baxby’s method makes more sense. You are the ultimate one-hit KO machine. So long as you can get your hands on them, they are going to have next to no chance to recover.” Mina looked and pointed her pen at Thorn’s hands. “From what it sounds like, if you had kept hold of Sylith when you grabbed his leg, you probably could have killed him. I think your plan of attack should be to grab people and not let go until they’re dead.”
“Bit gruesome to rip people in half, isn’t it?”
“I mean, you don’t actually have to do that. You can stab them with your claws, or carry a short blade and chop at them. Besides, it's not like you’ll see blood. Players don’t bleed when they die, so if you kill them fast enough, it will be really clean.”
“Okay, I can get behind this. So the plan will just be to close the distance as quickly as possible and focus on downing a single target at a time?”
“Effectively. I’d carry some weapons just in case you need more reach. But if I were you, I'd use a short blade and try to get into close combat as much as possible.”
“Something like this?” Thorn rummaged through the pile, lifting out a two and a half foot long short sword with a heavy blade. It looked more like a dagger in his massive hands as he spun it.
“Perfect. And then maybe a club for targets that are immune to cutting or stabbing? I think getting another tetsubo is a good idea, but for now any club will do.”
Nodding, Thorn picked up the metal staff. As thick as Mina’s wrist and a full seven feet long, it was made out of a solid piece of iron, but Thorn bent it casually in half and began wrapping some leather around one end, leaving him with a thick metal club.
“Such a waste,” Baxby and Jorge both muttered at the exact same moment.
Ignoring them, Thorn turned back to Corvo, who was watching all of the commotion with interest.
“What else do we know about the final boss fight?”
“The boss is named Courdum the Stone King. Like I mentioned already, he is an ancient Dwarven king. He rules the labyrinth city of Rakkam and controls all of the stone Dwarves. The exact details are sketchy, but I think he made the Dwarves into the statues or something like that. He draws power from chained greater elementals, which makes him powerful enough to solo-wipe a full team of the Silver Guard.
“Each time a team clears one of the labyrinths, it frees one of the greater elementals, which reduces Courdum’s power. At least, that is what we think. When the Silver Guard got there, the greater fire elemental was missing, so we are assuming that is how it works. Each team that gets through the labyrinth gets assigned to fight a boss, with the first being assigned to fight Courdum. As for the actual fight, there is not much we know except that Courdum is a monster, and his guards are almost as strong.
“The fight takes place on these split up platforms with each team needing to deal with their boss. Chances are the bosses are going to have some triggers, but we won’t know until we get multiple teams in there to test it out. We do know that the longer the fight went, the harder that Courdum was to kill and the more damage he dealt, so it’s likely that all the bosses are the same way. That is as much as we know. For actual specifics, we’ll have to wait until we are there.”
“Fair enough. Thank you, Corvo.”
Having settled on the weapon he was going to use, Thorn spent the rest of his time before the countdown ended storing various extra weapons in his inventory. If he had learned anything from the last fight it was that having an extra option for hitting other people was a good idea. Once he had a good variety of weapons, Thorn asked Mina to gather the Titan squad, and soon the fifty players were standing together, getting ready to login. Returning to where Thorn was sitting while he waited for the group, the Ice Witch nudged him.
“You might want to try to do something, Thorn. Everyone is still pretty down about our loss.”
“What can I do?” The Titan frowned as he looked over the group. The players from Nova Luna were standing together, talking quietly, a sense of heaviness in the air.
“I don’t know. Say something. Or do a dance. The point is that you are the leader, so you need to get them fired up. Look, just because you messed up, doesn’t mean you can shirk your responsibilities. It means you need to do better and work harder, and that includes getting everyone excited for what we’re about to do.”
“Alright, alright, I get it.” Thorn held up his hands in defeat. Mina was completely right, of course. There was no reason for him to shrink back from his duties as a leader. In fact, he knew that he should really be doing exactly the opposite. Now was the time to do a better job of leading his team forward. Clearing his throat, Thorn stood up and waited for the low murmur to die down.
“Is everyone ready to go?” A few scattered affirmations drifted from the crowd, causing Thorn’s heart to sink. The atmosphere was worse than he had thought. Keeping his face covered in a cheerful grin, Thorn let the silence return as he swept his eyes across the crowd.
“We’ve got an uphill battle coming. Let’s be real about our situation. We lost a major advantage to Ragnarok, an advantage that they have capitalized on. Our reports tell us that they were the first to break through to the final stage of the quest. This is going to give them an advantage in the fight that is coming up, as they’ll get to face off against the main boss. We can’t change what has happened, but we can do a better job than we have been, and finish this quest cleanly.
“We are going to be spawning in the underground fortress, which Ragnarok currently controls. The spawn point is about three blocks from the entrance to the dungeon, so we should be able to cover the distance quickly. However, we’ve thrown away any pretense of peace with Ragnarok, so expect both Ragnarok and their subordinate guilds to get in our way. We’ll be going in hot, so to speak. I would assume that we’ll be up against at least one hundred Silver Guard and five or six hundred of their henchmen. The last time we met, we couldn’t even survive against fifty, but now we’ll probably face twice that number, so prepare yourselves.
“I’ve asked a few of our allies for some help to ensure that we can get to the dungeon, but even if we do make it through the players standing in our way, the real challenge will start from there. Once we are in the labyrinth, we’ll be on a clock. We are racing against all of the major guilds in the game to try and be one of the first groups to make it through the labyrinth to the final fight. While this would have been a simple thing before, Ragnarok leaked the solution to the labyrinth, so all of the major guilds know the secret to beating it.
“Once we arrive in the final fight, we are going to have to cooperate with the other guilds, including Ragnarok, to take down the boss. Fighting alongside the other guilds against Courdum the Stone King, the boss of this World Quest, will require that we take on our boss while watching our backs, since I don’t trust Ragnarok to play clean. They have shown again and again that they are more than willing to play dirty tricks if they feel like it will benefit them.”
By this time, not a sound could be heard besides the slow, heavy rumble of Thorn’s voice. Mina stared at the Titan skeptically as she heard his words. If the atmosphere had been slightly down before, it had now sunk into complete depression.
“We are facing an uphill battle. But that isn’t a bad thing.” Thorn’s quiet tone suddenly gained an edge, and a fire sprang up in his eyes. “We are stronger than they know. Stronger than we know. The flame of adversity will sharpen our edge. The doubt we face will strengthen our resolve. Nothing will stand in our way. We will enter the dungeon. We will break through the labyrinth. And we will conquer whatever waits behind those doors, over the bodies of those who seek to stop us, if necessary.
“Excellence is the fruit of unrelenting focus and labor, and now it is time to prove it by our blood and sweat. Take up your weapons once more and follow me. Ragnarok thinks they have us beaten, thinks that they have us defeated. Let's show them how terribly wrong they are. Our swords will leave an impression on Ragnarok that will never be forgotten. We might have fallen once, covered by the cloud of defeat, but we are the new moon and our rise is inevitable.”
With his final word, Thorn’s voice was almost a whisper, the power of his statements vibrating in the chests of the gathered players. Eyes burning, one of the tanks unsheathed his sword and thrust it into the air, his teeth clenched with determination. Around him a sea of weapons rose silently, a testament to the determination Thorn had awoken in the hearts of the Titan squad. Lifting his gauntleted hand, Thorn slowly clenched it into a fist. The clock counting down the death penalty ticked down to single digits, the intensity slowly building as the number dropped. By the time the countdown reached three seconds, the atmosphere was electric.
“Let’s show them how we rise.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Thorn appeared in the broken down Dwarven temple of the underground fortress with a flash of light. Around him, the rest of the Titan squad popped into view as they entered the game. Accepting the re-spawn fee, Thorn checked his messages and walked out the large open door. The fortress was still in complete disrepair from the building-smashing fight against the stone legion and the giant stone statues that had allowed Ragnarok capture the fortress. Rather than putting money into fixing it, the super guild had let it continue to deteriorate, focusing entirely on the dungeon.
Outside of the temple, a silver band of players stood in neat rows. Around one hundred Silver Guard were in the front of the group with close to two hundred players from the Silver Squires behind them. Surrounding the silver armored block, a motley collection of players from other guilds milled around as they waited for the fireworks.
“Are you Thorn?”
The question caught Thorn off guard and his foot almost missed the step. Catching himself, he looked around. Not a single player in the area came up past his shoulder, giving him a clear view of the serious-faced Silver Guard who spoke.
“Yeah. I’m Thorn.”
“Greetings, Thorn. I am GildedShield, the acting captain of the Silver Guard.”
“Where is Raeth? I assumed he would have already respawned.”
“Sir Raeth has passed the honor of leading this engagement to me and joined Sir Sylith in the quest to topple the evil tyrant Courdum.” GildedShield stood up a little straighter as he explained the situation to Thorn. Behind him, the ranks of the Silver Guard stood straight, their swords in their hands and their shields held in front of their chests. Thorn could see a red band around GildedShield’s arm, marking him out as the highest ranked officer.
“Why is he talking funny?” Thorn leaned down and asked Mina in a whisper.
“RP. He is one of those role-players. Some people take this game really seriously and like to pretend that this is real life. They don’t treat it like a game.”
“With a name like GildedShield? Weird.” Straightening, Thorn pointed at the Silver Guard who were standing in their way. “Captain, we intend to pass through this road and enter the dungeon.”
“Acting Captain, not Captain,” GildedShield corrected, holding up a hand. “Due to the command of Sir Sylith, the Heavenly Silver Dragon Knight, who has decreed that no one may use this fortress’ entrance to the dungeon, I have no choice but to deny your request. You....! Wai…!”
*BANG*
A massive chunk of stone that had once been a pillar attached to the temple smashed down on the front line of the Silver Guard, instantly crushing GildedShield and a dozen of the silver-armored players. His hand still extended from the throw, Thorn shook his head.
“It was not a request. All units, charge!”
From the surrounding darkness, a massive army of players rose up and charged forward, throwing off their dark cloaks as they attacked. In the flickering torchlight of the underground fortress, they had blended in almost perfectly with the ruined buildings, allowing their attack to come as a complete surprise. The abrupt assault threw the milling players and the Silver Squires into utter chaos as they scrambled to defend themselves. In the front of the group, the Silver Guard responded with the strict discipline they were famous for, gathering up into a solid block, their shields held high.
“Titan squad, follow me.” Thorn snapped out the command as he picked up another fallen pillar from where it rested on the steps. Holding it in front of him, he charged down the steps toward the Silver Guard, throwing back his head to howl as he went.
“[Rallying Cry]!”
As the Titan squad’s speed increased with [Pack Travel], Thorn led them at an angle, hitting the corner of the Silver Guard’s defensive formation. Sweeping the stone pillar across the Silver Guard, Thorn’s eyes caught the ripple of silver energy as the shields dispersed the force of the hit across the whole formation. Still, the weight of the strike caused the Silver Guard to shiver as each player tried to stop themselves from staggering backward.
Not even blinking as the pillar disintegrated into a mass of shards, Thorn grabbed two of the Silver Guard and threw them aside. Taking an abrupt turn, he faced the main body of the Silver Guard formation head on.
“Keep following Mina.” His loud voice carried easily over the din of the battlefield, and behind him, Mina led the rest of the Titan squad to charge forward, cutting past the Silver Guard at an angle.
Thorn pulled the oversized warhammer out of his inventory and began to pound down on the nearest Silver Guard, trying to buy time for all fifty of the Titan squad to get by. The area outside the temple had devolved into pure chaos as swarms of players poured out of the ruined buildings and rushed into battle. In the flickering torchlight visibility dropped to next to nothing as spells and missiles began to fly.
It was only Thorn, in his bright silver armor, who stood out, his warhammer smashing down on the Silver Guard’s shields. In the fury and bustle, his large form was easy to see, and he soon found himself the target of countless ranged attacks as the panicking players looked for a target. Feeling his health jump up and down as the support characters behind him threw heals at him to counteract the ranged attacks, Thorn did his best to continue smashing away on the Silver Guard.
“[Aegis of Time]!”
An arcane clock shimmered into existence above Thorn’s head, neatly intercepting the thick beam of light from the Silver Guard’s [Holy Strike]. As the clock melted away under the golden light, the last player from the Titan squad passed behind Thorn, and he threw back his head as if he was going to howl.
At the sight of his head going up, the Silver Guard tightened their formation, raising their shields to cover their faces. With plenty of experience fighting against Thorn, they had figured out many of his tells, and knew that [Wolf Lord’s Howl] was on its way.
Pleased to see their shields up, Thorn stayed silent, turning to dash after the Titan squad, who were quickly disappearing into the darkness. Tossing a dark cloak around his shoulders as he ran, Thorn drew it around him, doing his best to cover his silver armor. As his large stride carried him away, he spotted Asher standing on the roof of a ruined building nearby. The leader of Aurum was watching the chaos below with a critical eye and murmuring commands to a few players who stood next to him.
Giving Asher a short wave, Thorn sped off after the Titan squad, quickly catching up to the group. On the top of the building, Asher watched the Titan squad head toward the dungeon entrance. Once they had covered half the distance, he gave another command and the roiling mass of players shifted, flooding into the space left by the Titan squad’s charge.
The Silver Guard huddled together, waiting for a [Wolf Lord’s Howl] that never came. After a few seconds, a couple of the players started to lower their shields but then hesitated. Finally, one of them straightened and dropped his shield, only to find that Thorn had disappeared. Stunned, he looked around for the Titan, only finding darkness and chaos.
The crush of players rushing around suddenly turned and scattered, disappearing into the ruins of the fortress as fast as they had arrived, the dark cloaks they donned making them difficult targets in the gloom. Within minutes, the only players on the street were the tightly packed Silver Guard in their defensive formation and the beleaguered remnants of the Silver Squires.
Thorn and the Titan squad rushed down the last block before the dungeon entrance. A smattering of Silver Squires stood in front of it to try and keep other players away, but the Titan squad blew through them with little effort and entered the dungeon gate. Selecting Diving mode, Thorn brought the team inside, appearing in the now familiar forge room.
“Whew. That was exciting.” Thorn looked around with a grin as he put away his cloak. “We’ll pause for two minutes, and then we’re heading in. We are going to be moving fast, so prepare yourselves, alright?”
“Haha, that was fun.” Mina was beaming, even as her face began to take on a pink hue in the intense heat.
The two minute break went quickly, but the players in the Titan squad were professional and were back on their feet and ready to go with plenty of time to spare. Taking a tighter and more aggressive formation, they rushed forward, Thorn taking point. The labyrinth was burning hot, and fast movement made that heat all the more evident, but this was a race against the clock, so the Titan squad pushed on without regard.
