Seeds of Discordia

Liam suddenly felt a stinging sensation pierce his eyes as the faint cloudiness around the edges of his eyes grew a little more.

Liam fought the urge to close his eyes as he gritted his teeth.

As soon as the pain subsided, Liam turned to the others to see how they were doing, but grew concerned as Artem fell to a knee.

“Are you alright?” Liam questioned as he approached him.

“Yeah,” Artem replied with a hoarse voice as he pulled out a Stamina Potion. “My Zodiac ability drains my Mana and Stamina whenever I use it. Since its still low it drains quickly.”

“Ah I see,” Liam stated. “Thank you for using it. I was getting worried there that I wasn’t going to be able to get it cleansed in time.”

You’re rather lucky he had that ability. Eri stated in Liam’s mind. With the amount that had touched you, you would have lost both arms in no time at all.

Liam shuddered as an image of both his arms suddenly falling fall due to rot popped in his mind.

“Take some time to recuperate,” Liam said to him before looking back at The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord.

He was still covering his eyes with his hands and thrashing his head around.

“Everyone attack while he’s blinded!” Liam shouted as the others ran and got into place.

Avery and Roman ran on opposite sides of the room to get as close as they could before they started chanting their fireball spells.

After they had finished their chants two fireballs appeared in front of them before they shot it at the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord.

Three of the four balls of fire slammed into the mummified creature as he thrashed about from being blinded.

Liam watched as his health dropped to two thousand four hundred and ninety seven after taking that last hit.

The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord swiped his hand that held his scepter out, making Blair jump back to dodge it.

While she did this, two bandage wraps shot out from his back and crashed into two glass covered areas in the wall, grabbed the jars and pulled them in to his body.

Liam watched as the creature’s health pool rose back up to three thousand nine hundred and ninety seven. Not only did his health regenerate, but his mana pool also rose to two hundred and fifty.

Those jars are capable of regenerating his MP too? Liam thought as he turned to look at the jars sitting behind the glass.

As Liam looked at the remain glass protected shelves, he counted them. There were five jars remaining.

However, as he counted them he noticed that all but one of the jars had normal designs. There was a different one that had a fancier design. This one was placed in the middle of all the glass protected shelves.

What makes that one so special? Liam thought.

He wasn’t able to think more into it as the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord moved his hands from his eyes and scowled at Liam.

“How dare you blind me you dirty lowly peasant!” The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord roared as he started channeling mana around his body. “I will make sure to rot your body and watch as your limbs fall apart one by one!”

After cursing Liam, several bandage wraps shot out from his body and soared right for him.

Liam went to manipulate the fiery liquid in the bottle hanging on his leg, but realized he would be too late. However, before the bandages got within five feet of Liam, Fireballs collided with four of them.

An arrow collided with one, causing it to deviate from its path and hit the ground next to Liam.

Blair’s Axe sliced through the last one causing it to lose all mana that was focused on the tip of the bandage wrap.

“Hey asshat!” Roman yelled out. “Did you forget about us?”

The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord glared at each member of Liam’s group.

“It seems that I must first get rid of the other rats first before I finish you off,” the tall, mummified man stated.

Without warning, the dust and sand that had fallen from the sandstorm that filled the room suddenly started moving along the ground towards the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord.

The Boss monster crossed his arms in front of his chest as the sand started to swirl upwards, completely engulfing him.

Shortly after that, the sand dropped down, leaving nothing behind.

“Everyone watch out! We don’t know what he just did and what is going to happen!” Mercer called out as he scanned the room.

“Be on guard! He could pop out from anywhere,” Liam added as he activated his Mana Sight and scanned from left to right.

He didn’t see anything as he looked around. However, after a few seconds had passed he felt mana start to build up from behind him near the area behind Ariyana.

As he turned around he shouted, “Watch out Ariyana!”

While turning around to warn her, he watched as a Mummy Rot filled bandage wrap shot down towards Ariyana while she turned around.

As she spun around, Ariyana’s eyes widened as the mana filled bandage wrap pierced through her stomach with ease and crashed into the ground behind her.

The grin that was starting to form on the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord face stopped and turned to a frown as he noticed something wasn’t right.

A second later, Ariyana’s body rippled as her form faded away.

Liam turned to his right to see Ariyana standing behind Artem, panting like crazy.

Ariyana turned to look at Liam and stated, “Thanks for the warning. If you hadn’t shouted I wouldn’t have activated After Image in time.”

Feeling relieved to see she was fine, Liam nodded and gave her a smile. He then looked back at the Floor Boss monster.

The mana filled bandage wrap retracted from the ground as sand swirled around the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord. Liam watched his eyes burning with malice before he disappeared into the sand.

“Activate your Mana Sight and keep an eye out everyone!” Liam shouted as he scanned the room.

He couldn’t see any signs of mana anywhere.

As soon as he looked to his right, he felt mana start to build up to his left. It was closest to Mercer.

“Over by Mercer!” Liam shouted as he saw the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord get ready to launch an attack.

However, right before he shot a mana filled bandage wrap, Roman suddenly appeared a few feet away from Mercer, away from the group.

“Over here you failed excuse of a king!” Roman shouted.

The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord turned his head to scowl at him and shot the bandage wrap right at him.

As Liam watched this, he grew confused. He saw Roman standing there, but at the same time, he stood next to Blair. The Roman who was next to Blair looked to be focused and was channeling mana.

It dawned on him that Roman was probably using one of his Focus Point abilities from the Field of Illusions. He wasn’t able to recognize the ability because he hadn’t seen it be used yet, but he knew it wasn’t the Mirage or After Image spell since the Roman that took the hit was able to speak.

The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord let out a roar of frustration as the fake Roman disappeared.

Before he could turn to look at them, two fireballs slammed into his chest.

The Giant Mummified monster retreated back into the sands, making everyone go back on their guard.

Ariyana moved back to the spot she ran from as Roman cautiously moved closer to Mercer.

Liam slowly walked to the middle of the group as he scanned the area again.

Why can’t I see the mana moving him? Liam thought as he spun around to look at the area behind him. I hate that I can’t find him so easily while he’s playing peek a boo in the sand with us.

Artem and Blair turned their heads to look at the opposite sides of the room.

Is my Mana Sight not high enough to detect where he is? Liam tried to figure out as he turned back around.

Before he could think again, he heard Artem and Blair shout, “Behind us!”

Everyone turned to see the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord emerge from a small sandstorm and start channeling mana. The amount of mana he channeled this time was more than the last two times.

Three mana filled bandage wraps shot out from his body. One soared for Avery, the second for Blair, and the last was directed at Liam.

Liam watched as Avery and Blair ran from where they stood with a perfect copy of themselves still in the same spot.

“Liam duck!” Mercer shouted.

Liam reacted and did as he was told and dropped to the ground.

As soon as he did, an arrow sailed towards the bandage wrap and collided right under the tip. The force of the arrow made the tip of the bandage wrap bounce up a bit, making it sail over Liam’s head and crashed into the ground behind him.

Liam rolled away from the spot before the bandage wrap was retracted, leaving the ground to corrode.

As the three bandage wraps swiftly sailed back towards the monster’s body, Avery and Roman finished chanting their spells and sent four fireballs right at the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord’s body.

The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord started to call the sands to swirl around him, but the sands suddenly stopped as the fireballs crashed into his body, causing him to let out a painful yell.

“You cowardly useless trash!” The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord shouted. “Is using your craven abilities to distract or hide from me all you can do?”

Liam stared at the Mummified monster and grew wide eyed as he watched mana start channeling around him. The creature’s Mana bar was dropping rapidly as he continued to channel his mana for some sort of spell.

“We’ve got a big one coming guys!” Liam shouted as he watched bandage wrap after bandage wrap start to slowly snake out from his body.

“Roman!” Avery called out, as she turned to look at him.

“Yeah?” Roman asked.

Liam looked at her and saw her throw her hands out.

Roman stared at her for a moment before realizing what she meant. He then replied, “I’ve got this side you got that side?”

“Yes!” Avery shouted as she ran towards the front and stopped in front of Artem.

Roman ran to the front as well next to Avery and stayed about three feet away from her.

Liam was confused by what was going on.

“What are you guys going to do?” Artem questioned.

“Something cool,” Roman stated with a wild grin.

“Group up behind us,” Avery shouted before looking forward as she pointed her rapier at her target and started channeling mana.

Roman extended his arms out, palms pointing forward, and started channeling as well.

After a few seconds had passed they began chanting, “Oh Fire, powerful and beautiful. Spark and ignite the devastating power you hold within.”

Liam was still confused on what they were going to do. He tried to think about all the spells they had told him they had, but still couldn’t think of one they were going to use.

His thoughts on what they were going to do were suddenly replaced as he looked back at the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord.

He was shocked at what he was seeing. This was the most any of them had seen the creature use. The mana filled bandage wraps didn’t stop at twelve but continued to grow until twenty bandage wraps were floating around his body.

After the last bandage was ready, all twenty Mummy Rot filled bandages shot forward towards the group.

 Right as they were a foot away, Avery and Roman finished their chant, “Course and engulf all that dare to stand in your way. Wave of Ignition!”

A powerful burst of flames suddenly sprang out in front of them and spread out in a cone shape, engulfing the bandages that were trying to piercing them.

The bandages had no chance of continuing forwards as the flames burnt each one to a crisp.

Avery and Roman didn’t stop there as they started to walk forward themselves, bringing this powerful spell closer to the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord.

“No!” the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord roared out as he took a step back.

He tried to retract each bandage and salvage what he could, but the damage was done.

Flames raced up towards his body through the parts of the retracted bandage wraps and started to burn his body as well.

He tried to pat down the areas he could reach, but there was too many spots the flames touched.

 The small bits of fire he couldn’t reach on his back, legs, and sides started spreading out.

Liam was in awe from the sheer power this spell produced. Thanks to the flames spreading all over the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord’s body, his health was plummeting fast.

“No!” he shouted again as anger filled his mind. “You think something like this will do me in?! Think again!”

A bandage not lit up with fire suddenly shot out towards the glass protected area in the middle of the wall where the fancy looking jar was and shattered the glass.

“I will regain all of my health back thanks to my hea…,” the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord started to say, until a flaming arrow crashed into the jar, not only shattering it, but lighting the contents on fire as well.

“No!” The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord roared out again. “My heart! You destroyed my heart!”

The fire Avery and Roman created through their spell suddenly vanished as they dropped to their knees, gasping for air.

“You think this is the end?!” The Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord shouted out as he stared at the group with so much malice in his eyes. His health quickly dropping down into the hundreds.

“You might have defeated me today, but the Askith Nation will rise again one day!” the Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord continued. “And when it does you will know just how powerful of an enemy you have made by killing me!”

As he shouted his final word, his health dropped to zero. As soon as it depleted his body dropped to the floor, snuffing out the flames and bringing a notification to everyone in the room.

 

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“Congratulations! You have defeated the 5^th Floor Boss: Askith Pharaoh Mummy Lord!”

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