The Manaverse

The Crypts - City Dungeon

Slatewell Safe Zone

Jut slid the scraps and trash of the party's Dungeon lunch into his inventory. The food tasted amazing and he had saved the best item for their break. The information for the sandwich he had just consumed was open in his vision as he cleaned up.

Item: Monster Meat Sandwich

Type: Food

Rank: Normal

Rarity: Common

Quality: Average

Description: Stat Enhancing Food created by a skilled cook in Granite City. Upon consumption, HP, MP, and SP will be restored 5% faster for 4 hours.

Creator: Crimson

The Daemon cook was only able to make five portions of the buff food before she ran out of the spices she needed to make them. She had only unlocked that recipe that morning after practicing her craft for days on end.

Jut had complimented her on her growth and made her take at least a small payment for the food. He had a feeling he needed to check with Derrick or Wendy to make sure she didn't give the money back to the Guild. She deserved the compensation.

Brick was staring out of the hallway at the Bone Horror, which hadn't moved at all while they had sat down to rest. The Crusaders had finished up with five minutes before the thirty minute mark had passed, just in case.

"What's on your mind, man?" Jut asked, stepping even with the team's Guardian.

Brick put his hand on his chin thoughtfully as he responded. "I just think it's rather creepy how the final Boss is an amalgamation of the creatures that killed all the people down here, you know?"

Isabelle spoke before Jut could. "It's a representation of our failure during the initialization and the events of the Monster Wave."

"How so?" Joy asked, looking confused.

"It's telling a story. The creators of Prime Dungeons did the same thing all the time. First the people were housed up down here much like the Monsters are in their coffins. When the Monsters swarmed the Bunker, there was a much smaller number of them than the people within, also like us compared to the Human Monsters we are fighting. After all of the people were dead, and the Monsters were trapped inside, they fought and killed one another in a vicious battle before they were consumed, or in this case entombed, to make the Dungeon." Diggy said grimly.

Isabelle nodded, pointing at the Minotaur. "Exactly right. See how easy it was for the Monsters to fend us off the first time? That's how it should have gone down here during the wave. Yet, a Dungeon Clear tells the story for how it actually was. We failed because everyone down here that night was coddled while the real fighters were on the surface. These people were never forced to fight to survive, so most of them had no experience killing a Monster. In other words, easy prey."

The group remained silent, letting the analogy sink in. The mood turned somber rather fast after that.

"Let's be the first ones to tell the story how it was then." Brick said, trying to get everyone back on track.

"We're going with the first strategy we discussed?" Jut asked. He received nods from around the group as everyone readied themselves for battle. "On one then."

"Three.... Two...." Jut counted.

"One!" Brick finished, running straight at the Bone Horror. Once he got close enough, he bashed the twelve foot tall behemoth in the upper leg as hard as he could, the surface of his shield acting as the catalyst for his Magical Strike attack. He stepped back and cried out, his voice carrying a wave of power that washed over the team, granting them a short power boost and making the Boss look down at him.

The Monster raised its arm that sported a scorpion stinger. The tip shot forward. Brick deflected the blow by sidestepping and angling his shield to make the tip glance off. He didn't miss the chance to counter attack, striking his club against the Monster's center mass. He side stepped a blow from the hammer arm that cracked the ground below him.

Joy blurred behind the Monster the moment Brick's Shout was active, skidding to stop and unloading everything she had into the back of the Monster's legs.

Diggy charged in after her, crashing into the Monster's side just as their tank avoided the blow from the hammer arm. The Monster was forced to skid across the ground, but it held its balance.

The Bone Horror never took its eyes off Brick. It even stepped towards the Guardian, allowing Diggy the chance to land a heavy blow with his war axe before he stepped away and let Brick take the lead.

Jut fired a Gusty Strike that aided in Diggy's charge and increased the distance the Monster slid backward, even if only fractionally. He took the Monster's free side, using the club Jonny had given him against the bones as his his sword wasn't likely to be as effective. He was also wielding his buckler shield. Having watched Brick take the hits he had, Jut wasn't sure he could get in there and take a hit well enough to be worth trying to use Consequence just yet.

Isabelle unloaded blast after blast from her wand into the Monster's chest, weaving in a Mana Bolt whenever she could. She carefully watched Brick and was ready to cast a healing spell on him as needed.

Jut was overall confident with their first salvo. The Monster's HP bar appeared as it started taking damage and steadily fell. His confidence soared when Brick held aggro after his Battle Cry wore off, despite everyone going full bore. That confidence began to waiver when Brick blocked a full on hammer arm strike for the first time.

The shield Brick carried bent and there was an audible snap before the Guardian bellowed in pain. Jut heard the force of the hit brake Brick's arm before it sent him flying back into a wall.

Isabelle ran over to Brick and started healing him. They had learned she could easily mend bones and punctures as long as they were recent. The longer the wound is left untreated, the more magic it took to fix the damage. Jut guessed it had something to do with having to redo the healing the body had started on it's own but wasn't exactly sure.

The Monster looked first at Isabelle before Diggy stepped in the way. He delivered another heavy blow to the Monster's torso.

Joy never let up her assault either. She was wearing metal fist weapons that protected her hands as she laid on the pressure. She managed to pull the Monster's attention, the creature turning to her. Then she let off the damage and dodged a few times until the Monster turned towards Diggy once more.

The two managed to trade the Monster's aggression back and forth until Brick was able to step in and finally perform his Battle Cry once more. However, the achievement wasn't without its costs. Both Diggy and Joy sported scratches in their leather armor and Joy had even taken the stinger through her left arm. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be poison involved.

Still hovering at seventy percent HP, the Boss never stopped striking at Brick. Either it learned the hammer arm was the best weapon against the shield bearer, or that was its usual attack. Jut wagered it was the former. If it was, then it was bad news and meant they needed to pick up the pace or they were doomed. He needed to get in there and add his support de-buffs to the fight.

Jut timed it so he could step in behind Brick and catch a glancing blow on his shield just after Brick had done the same. The stinger arm deflected off both shields in rapid succession, causing Consequence to trigger. To Jut's delight and horror, he felt the skill trigger a second time as he took a hammer blow to his chest. While the attack was not a full force strike, it was devastating and knocked him back into an alcove.

Jut watched his HP bar plummet, stopping at thirty percent and steadily falling as his back struck the wall and he crumpled into a heap. Jut had learned well over the last few weeks what a broken rib felt like. So he knew that many of his ribs had shattered. He was about to try and force himself through the pain and rise, but he couldn't. The wind had been knocked out of him and he couldn't seem to catch his breath again.

A warmth washed through Jut and a soft voice made him able to focus through the pain once more.

"Jut, I am healing through the internal bleeding, but you'll need to drink a potion. The damage is too severe."

He nodded, groaned in pain, but managed to shakily pull a Stone Rank potion bottle from the pouch that led to his inventory. He could have sworn the bottle readily hopped into his hand. He yanked the cork and swallowed the mixture in deep gulps until it was gone.

The potion smelled and tasted stronger than most potent medicine Jut had ever had before. It was like what he imagined drinking thick, rubbing alcohol would be like. It made him gag and wretch. Yet, he felt the same warmth from Isabelle's touch spreading through his core and out to his extremities.

"I think you'll be good now. I need to get back in there." Isabelle said before casting regeneration on him, standing up and returning to the fight.

Jut looked up at the Monster and noticed its HP was just above half. Many of the bones that made up the creature's legs and torso were heavily cracked or chipped. The stinger arm was missing chunks from its length and the hammer arm wasn't much better.

We might be able to pull this off.

Don't get cocky. From all of your Prime Lore, this is the perfect time for...

Alex didn't finish, because Jut could see they were right. The Boss was entering a second phase.

The Bone Horror stopped moving and slammed its hammer arm down into the ground. A shock wave of energy rippled out from the strike, washing over the Crusaders. All of them, besides Jut who was still on the ground, were knocked off their feet. Then the Monster started going berserk. It swung its arms wildly, not aiming at anyone or anything specifically.

"Back up. Everyone back up. This has to be a second phase." Jut yelled.

They had discussed how Bosses tended to have multiple phases where their actions could change wildly, or their HP would reset, or they would call smaller Monsters to fight for them. This phase shift happened to be the first option and it seemed fifty percent was the mark for it.

The Bone Horror started to spin and flail all over the room. Each of the Crusaders had managed to back up or crawl into an alcove. Surprisingly, the Boss never came close to striking one of them. It was as if the Boss had lost all sense of where they were and was just attacking blindly.

During this brief respite, Jut watched as each of his teammates quaffed a potion or two. All of their resources refilled steadily. He, himself, drank a Mana and Stamina potion for good measure. Neither tasted any better than the Healing potion, the only difference being the Mana potion tasted more minty and the Stamina potion was closer to spearmint.

As the Boss started to settle down, each member of the team rose. Even Jut was able to stand again. He was having a hard time believing his chest had just been a crushed mess. The worst part was that the two stacks of Vulnerable he had taken the devastating hit to give were already gone.

Brick took charge and yelled out, his Battle Cry Skill echoed through the room for a third time. He was right behind the wave of magic as he rushed into the Monster again.

Each member of the team took up their positions where they could be the most effective, with Joy behind the Monster, Jut and Diggy on each side, and Isabelle standing back, firing away.

The Bone Horror appeared to be acting normally again, striking at Brick. However, when his Cry wore off, something was different. The Monster rotated its body at the waist and swung down hard at Joy with its hammer arm.

With a shout of concern, Diggy pushed Joy out of the way. The flat end of the hammer crushed the Minotaur's skull, killing him in a single blow. The crunching sound sent chills down Jut's spin as he watched another friend, his best friend, meet a familiar fate. The fact that Diggy would be fine never made it into his mind. Jut just froze.

It wasn't an attack or pain that made him snap out of his haze filled grief. It was the scream that tore from Joy's throat. The sound was guttural and course as she charged forward, her fists glowing. She dodged, weaved, and smashed her fists into the Monster as fast and as often as she could. Slowly, the Monster's health fell to thirty then twenty-five percent.

Jut would have been impressed if the Boss hadn't turned at just the right time to kick Joy in the throat, the dog Monster skull biting into her neck deeply. When it pulled its foot back parts of her throat came with it, gushing blood all over the place. Her hands moved to her neck and she toppled over as her health bottomed out. Her body was gone, faded away, before it could hit the floor.

"Fuck." Brick swore loudly. He hoisted his club and shield into place just in time to deflect another blow. Brick's barrier nullified the little damage the attack may have done and turned it back on the Monster. The mana blue barrier rippled before it fired a blast into the Monster's Minotaur skull, slightly chipping it.

The Bone Horror screamed loudly. It took Jut a long moment to realize there was no sound, but his ears still felt like the scream had been piercing, his eardrums stinging. He wasn't the only one either. Both Brick and Isabelle flinched with him.

"It's the Skull. It must be a weak spot!" Jut yelled, his ears still ringing.

The single retaliatory hit, which had stuck the Monster many times throughout the fight, dropped the Monster's HP by a larger chunk than usual. At least four percent. Only Diggy had done that much damage in a single hit. He realized a close second had been Isabelle's Magic Bolt which had done three. There was no other conclusion he could reach. The skull had to be the weak spot.

With the new information, the team fell back into formation, with Brick taking the Monster's attention and Isabelle floating out of easy reach.

Jut reactivated his Magical Strikes and Windy Steps Skills and looked for damage in the Bone Horror's structure. He needed a way to get the Monster down low enough to capitalize on his realization. He spotted a major fracture in the cat Monster skeleton leg around the knee. It was easy for him to fall back into his training with Jonny and he landed multiple heavy blows to that spot before he had to dodge a swing from the stinger tail. The hammer arm slammed down right where he had just been standing, his stacks of haste showing their worth. It had come so close, he felt the air move as it passed by.

A club came in and struck another fracture in the hammer arm and an audible cracking sounded out. Brick followed that attack with another, managing to shatter the arm.

Again, the Bone Horror screamed soundlessly and it made everyone flinch. With a massive thrust forward, the tip of the stinger stabbed into Brick's chest. The ringlets were forced apart violently and it pierced through Brick before being quickly yanked out again.

Brick was pulled forward as the stinger left his body. He toppled to his knees for only a moment. Then the dog Monster's foot kicked Brick in the face, the fangs biting down.

It was over before Jut or Isabelle could react. Brick's body was already breaking apart.

It was then Jut knew they had lost. There was no way the two of them could deal the twelve percent damage needed to kill the Monster. He would do everything he could, sure. But it wouldn't be enough.

Making sure all of his Skills, including his Healing Strike, were active, Jut ducked in with the last of his haste stacks to strike the same fracture in the cat leg. He made sure to use every ounce of force his weight could muster. A satisfying breaking sound was heard and the leg shattered.

Jut had to jump back to avoid being crushed under the Bone Horror's body as it fell. The Monster caught itself with its good knee and the remnants of its hammer arm. Jut lifted his shield in time to stop the arm from attacking him, if it had been launched at him. It hadn't been.

Isabelle threw herself flat just in time to take a scratch across her back.

Jut swung his club down at the extended arm and missed when it was retracted quickly. Reacting to the follow up attack and trying to step in front of the stingers return thrust, Jut barely made it in time. The direct hit didn't pierce his buckler, but it did knock him back a few steps. His passive Skill, Firm Footing, helped immensely. He would have been knocked off his feet without it.

Isabelle rose and fired at the skull, her wand blasted three holes into it before the Monster screamed, attacking her again.

Jut was fast enough to intercept the attack, but his shield wasn't placed low enough. The stinger parted his leather armor easily and kept going, the Monster putting its weight into the lunge.

The pain was worse than when his ribs were crushed. The ripping he felt as the arm pushed through him was agonizing and made him cough up blood. The pain was so intense it made his vision blur. Then his back hit something solid.

A sharp cry of pain behind him told Jut the arm hadn't stopped at him and pierced through Isabelle too. A crunching was heard as the stinger dug into the wall behind them. The Bone Horror yanked its arm back but wasn't able to get enough leverage to pull free. The motion caused Jut and Isabelle to both scream in pain.

"Oh, no you don't, fucker." Isabelle cursed. Her arm snaked around Jut's waist and a weapon she was holding dug into a particularly thick crack in the arm. The hand was holding the dagger he had given her before the team's first run. Despite her enthusiasm, however, she couldn't pierce the arm completely.

Jut, using both of his hands, pushed down on the hilt. His efforts forced the dagger in further and the stinger arm fractured as the weapon went all the way through.

The Bone Horror recoiled and flailed around in the center of the room with it's new stump. It's wails weren't as potent as before and it struggled to move with only one functional limb.

They were home free. Yet, their health was quickly dropping and the Bone Horror's wasn't, sitting at four percent.

"It's my turn to be the one to sacrifice for someone else. Everyone else always seems to do it for me. Finish this damn run." Isabelle said weakly into Jut's ear.

He was pushed forward, off of the stinger arm. He almost fell from the pain, but Isabelle kept him stable on his feet. Then her hand glowed a pure white as she touched his arm.

A warmth spread through Jut in an instant. His body was repairing itself faster than any healing magic he had seen before. Like feeling the attack in reverse, Jut watched as the pain faded and the gaping hole in his chest closed completely.

Jut turned and looked at Isabelle. "Is this that Once a Day heal you have? What's it called again?"

Isabelle couldn't answer. Her body was already breaking apart. If she hadn't used her spell on one of them, they both would have died and the team would have failed.

Jut swallowed. He was alone now. His lip curled in a sneer as he turned back to the Bone Horror. He picked up his dropped club and it flashed blue and green with a swirling black tinge to it as he engaged his Skills. Every ounce of pent up rage he had saved from the first day of the initialization of the System until just then boiled over, blacking out his vision.

The Bone Horror was starting to hobble towards him, its horns leveled at his chest. Jut used his body and shield to push the head of the beast away. When he felt Consequence trigger, he unleashed all of his pent up fury.

The only reason Jut was able to stop smashing the re-dead corpse into a million tiny pieces was because Alex forced the kill notification to open in his vision.