Dim flames danced along the walls of the room illuminating two men, one bloodied and broken, the other without a sweat. "I somehow knew it would be you joining me! You never disappoint me. But how come you're so beat up?" Aaron asked with a smug grin.
"I've spent like twenty minutes fighting things. You'd look like this too if you had to fight stuff. You look like you just strolled up, like usual no training just getting the rewards huh?" Zach huffed through stolen breaths.
"Actually, I had to fight through five rooms of monsters to get here. It got boring bashing their heads in to be fair. So, what, all that hard work to still be second? It must sting Zachary." Speaking so proudly, Aaron walked over to Zach, that shit-eating grin still on his face. Standing over the hunched, limping man, calm and arrogant.
"Do you have to be such an ahh? Gosh, I wish I could curse you out right now. Why do you have to be so mean to me?" Zach pleaded.
"You never played your best until I got you mad. Without your best you were boring to play against." This revelation filled Zach with anger.
"So, you did it to help me play better?" His eyes narrowed.
"Don't start getting sappy on me." Aaron prodded Zach's beat up shoulder with his bat. "I am the best all-rounder in the league. Sure, you are one of the best. How can I say that I'm number one if number two and three are so far below me? I don't want to be a big fish in a small pond. I want to prove that I'm the best. Which is why I was waiting. I actually hoped it would be you." The reasoning baffled Zach, who was looking at Aaron like he was a crazy person. Well to Zach, he was. Natural talent and with an ego to boot.
"Why are you waiting for me? To rub it in my face that I'm bruised and battered? You can shove it man. I'm kinda tired of today the message boxes have been really darn annoying." Retorted the exhausted Zach.
"Weren't you listening to me man?" Aaron's neck whipped round to look at him with a disapproving look. "This door here goes to the boss of this dungeon." He said assuredly, pointing his bat to the two ornate wooden doors. "I want us to go in there and compete for the win over the boss. I would have hoped you of all people would be stronger than you are now. But I'm sure you can push me to my limits. Like always." There was a passion that blazed in his eyes; one not many had seen before. It was like something new had unlocked in the man. He was on a mission, and he needed Zach to help him.
Zach, however, was scared. His health was low and if he lost it, would he be truly dead? He didn't know. He did know one thing though; he wanted to prove this smug asshole wrong. Was all he was just a steppingstone for someone else? Was all that time he spent studying, giving up parties, and practicing his craft just to assist someone else's journey. No, it couldn't be.
"Don't slow me down pretty boy." Zach said with a smile now plastered across his face.
Health: 7/22 (10.25 p/h)
Stamina: 8/40 (13.75 p/h)
Mana: 3/5 (10.75 p/h)
He knew what that declaration meant. He just couldn't get hit. Those slimes could do up to 3 damage in a single attack. If this was the boss, it certainly could do more.
Yet, as he had done many times before, Zach stepped up to the plate ready to give it his all.
Once both of them were in front of the doors they swung open. Wind rushed out, extinguishing every lit torch around them. The room ahead was dark and cold. Yet there was a strange sense of longing coming from there. A hunger arose in both men as they walked in simultaneous. In step with each other entering this new encounter.
Crossing the threshold made it real. The doors slamming shut behind them made it inescapable. The flickering of light coming from nowhere yet filling the room made it feel divine.
Awaiting their arrival stood a stone statue. Eight towering feet stood looking down on them. The humanoid figure, despite being monochromatic, was adorned with armor. The grey stone meshed into a stern face above the collar. The impression of hair tied into a bun with loose fitting ribbons sat atop the head. Hollow eyes stared at them.
Aaron Johnson and Zachary Montgomery vs Terracotta Scout
Blue light suddenly filled the eyes of the statue. It moved robotically. Each joint cracked the stone allowing blue veins to appear at each one. Crunching from the sculpture gave it life. Grunts gave it a voice. A stance ready to fight gave it intent.
"How much health you reckon its got?" Aaron said stood completely relaxed, unprepared for anything.
"I hope it's like us and only has about twenty." Zach replied, starting to stretch his arms, crossing them over his chest.
"I always forget you are naturally an idiot. We do ten damage a hit. How would it be a boss if we only had to hit it twice?" Aaron turned to look in bewilderment.
"Also its going to attack in three... two... one...now!" Upon the call the figure did indeed attack. It launched its rocky body forward without warning. It moved surprisingly fast for something made of rubble. The stone fist embedded itself in the archway of the door. Zach stumbled back in amazement. Aaron stood casually to the side, perfectly out of the way, his white teeth reflecting the light with a cheshire grin.
"Go to town."
That instruction moved both men to begin their assault. A club slammed into the side of the stuck construction. A metal bat smashed into the knees.
-9
-8
Syncing in progress...
Pebbles flew from the impact sites. That strange blue light that powered the golem spurted out the holes. It stood there trying to remove its fist as it got hit twice more. The wooden club that should have splintered under the force of impact smashed into the back of its knees. The aluminum bat that should have bent from the sudden momentum change rocketed into the abdomen with a wallop.
-10
-11
Syncing in progress...
With an extreme exertion of force, the rocky mitt was no longer a part of the wall; instead, it now wore a gauntlet made of the archway stone. Blue eyes darted between the two of them. It was searching for the bigger problem. The one that if it took out the other would be useless. Zach's ragged state made him the obvious weak link. Which is why it spun away from Zach and launched a power strike directly into the chest of Aaron. Mimicking the shaolin monk's horse stance; a single powerful punch backed up with a strong foundation.
CLANG
Metal screeched as the bat took a lot of the blow. Aaron entire body crumpled inwards like a car crashing. A large dent in the middle of the bat made it quite bent. Blood trickled out of his lip and from beneath his shirt. Though he had blocked most of the attack with quick thinking, the shockwave had rippled through the air and managed to cause him damage.
BONG
The noise rang out. Whilst Aaron was currently under attack that left the boss open to attack from behind. Zach took that opportunity and struck the nape of the neck, sending even more pebbles out onto the floor.
-12
What was blue was suddenly not. The room's hue suddenly shifted as the Terracotta Scout shifted to orange light.
Second Phase:
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.
"Oops" Zach whimpered, looking really worried as the statue about-faced to look at him.
With a flick of its wrist, the scout scattered pieces of itself using them as projectiles. Too stunned to move Zach watched as they hurtled towards him each one with the ability to kill him. Each small rock did find its way into flesh, but not his.
Aaron, who had barely recovered from the previous hit, dived in the way allowing the stones to embed themselves into his chest. Their propulsion sent him flying backwards colliding with Zach who in turn took damage.
Two bodies hit the floor, gasping for air. Stamina low, health lower. Their enemy progress forwards. Each step was a looming threat to their life, a clock counting down to their death. "What's your health at?" Aaron struggled to get out.
"Two." Zach choked back.
"Wow, for once you are doing better than me."
"Why did you save me?" Zach questioned, getting onto his knees.
"I told you." Aaron replied standing back to his feet, knees shaking, "I only performed my best when fighting you. I can't let you die on me."
"Even when you are my hero you are still an a-hole?" Zach spat the blood that had accumulated in his mouth onto the stone floor. "Can't believe I'm going to die next to you."
"You're not my first choice either. That's why I'm making sure neither of us dies. I will save us. Just don't get hit. You can do that, right? Don't want to put too much pressure on you." Aaron taunted, readying himself.
"Yeah yeah. Keeping talking man, I'll shut you up."
Syncing Complete...
Rivalry Bonus for both participants dismissed
Sync Bonus: Spurred on
Gain 50% of the stats of all other members in sync
After this message not a single word was spoken for the rest of the fight.
Unable to see the attacks of this now improved boss before, the combined perception of two baseball players was unmatched. Each attack thrown was seen before the villain had time to know what it was doing itself.
A punch at Zach? A man suddenly able to duck without issue. Followed up by the arm being smashed with a bent bat.
A headlong charge at Aaron? Someone so cocky that he would wait until the very last moment to jump and squat on the back of his bent over attacker. A distraction that allowed Zach to sneak a hit on the behind of the thing.
Throwing stones at both of them? It tried to throw projectiles at two people who had spent most of their lives hitting them away. All of them rebounded directly into the statue itself.
Now it stood cracked and broken. That light that burned inside was falling out at an increasingly bright rate. Orange swept through the room, dying everything in its warm embrace. Yet they both looked unphased. They were expressionless as they went in for the final hit.
Merely made of rock. Merely brought to life by magic. Meant to guard this dungeon. For that brief moment it knew a single human feeling; fear.
Critical Hit!
Critical Hit!
You have slain Terracotta Scout...
Calculating participation in dungeon...
The two rivals gave each other one last glance as their bodies turned into light. The glow of their arms taking the feeling of pain and exhaution away. Aaron looked at the ceiling, bathing in the glow. "Thank you. I finally felt my potential thanks to you. Next time, show me more."
With that, he vanished.
With that, so did Zach.
You have been rewarded for your completion of The Tutorial Dungeon
Choose 1 of the following rewards:
1) A random combat skill
2) A random piece of equipment for the dungeon's level
3) Complete a random skill tree