CHAPTER 516: THE OPTIONAL

Duality of Strength flared as Mason pulled at the demon’s chain. Phuong ran past him and jumped into the pit, and he could hear Garet and Carl shouting and the demon roaring as he heaved and strained.

Only then did he remember his Essence of the Stag—his ability to focus a creature’s attention and limit its effect on others. Would it work on this demon? He had no idea. But it was too late and he was already pulling the damn chain and Jesus Christ he’d maybe fucked up badly.

“Can you get out?” he yelled. “Are you alright?”

The shouts and sounds of combat were too hard to understand clearly, and the men were apparently too busy to answer. Mason at least knew they weren’t dead or down because he could hear them all struggling.

He focused on what he could do, what he could control, and pulled. The demon yanked with terrifying strength, growling and dragging Mason across the stone. He closed his eyes and leaned back, willing Transformation as he started to Shapeshift.

His joints popped and contorted but he didn’t let go of the chain, just wanting claws to dig into the ground. The thing jerked him forward and he called out in angry frustration. Every loss, every inch he gave it might have been a deadly wound to one of the men down there.

He got lower, trying to use the edge of the pit to hold it while he strained. It bought him a moment. His body was changed now and he leaned back up and gripped the stone with clawed feet as he yanked it back.

The demon fought him like some giant fish, but Mason rode it out, then used Aspect of the Cheetah and pulled. He took a step back, then two, then three.

“We’re alright,” Phuong called. “Can you hold it or drag it further?”

Mason just about laughed with some insane ‘sure I’ll just drag the giant demon further’ sound, but yes, maybe he could. John ran up beside him and grabbed the chain ahead, followed by Jason and Becky.

“Get him to the edge,” Mason quite literally growled with his half lupine face. “He’ll give up or climb after us.”

If he did, Mason was ready this time with his Stag power. But he glanced beside the hole and summoned Breaker. The huge, white animal shimmered into view with what looked like a roar but was actually a yawn.

At least two of the chain pullers let go in panic.

“The bear’s mine. Keep pulling.”

They dragged the big bastard another few steps before the chain went slack. Before Mason could yell out in warning, the demon leapt up with a face contorted in rage. Jason and John rolled away, but Becky just charged like some damn crazy Shieldmaiden.

The demon swiped her with a blue flash of power, and she slid back but kept her feet. Mason activated his Essence of the Stag.

He blinked as the world went dark. For a moment there was only the platform, the demon, and him.

Everything else disappeared. He had the urge to lower his head and charge. To knock his enemy down and stand on its chest in victory. The demon had the same idea.

It came at him with claws to the sides, maw of fangs wide open. Mason was up and running to meet it as Breaker appeared from the darkness and slammed into the demon’s side, a huge streak of white in the black.

The demon toppled in surprise, thrashing as Breaker clamped his jaw on the thing’s neck and dug his Mason-enhanced, green-tinged claws on either side of the thing’s torso.

But the damn shield held. Mason joined in next, but he gave up trying to hurt it. He grabbed one of the demon’s arms and tried to put it in some kind of arm bar, pushing its face into the stone. It spun so fast and with such violence it shook both Mason and Breaker off.

For a moment they all grappled, battling to keep claws and jaws away and pin the demon on its back. It raked the bear and splashed the white fur with blood, then threw its head into Mason’s shoulder so hard he was surprised it didn’t dislocate.

Duality and Transformation ticked with enthusiasm now. Mason felt the bear’s frustration with the shield, the same sort of ‘why won’t it break?’ anger he’d had when he dueled with Mason.

The darkness faded. The world returned and all the players with it, and some took little shots with spears or clubs into the world’s scariest wrestling match. They were nearby like maybe they could see in the ‘dark’ the whole time, like they weren’t limited like Mason and his target. When he wasn’t getting smashed into the ground he was definitely going to ask what they saw.

“How are we…on that fucking…puzzle!” he shouted, grabbing the demon’s wrist and pulling the arm straight.

“Almost there!” Garet yelled back. “I think? Wait is that…just hold on!”

Phuong leapt out of the hole and stared at the fight before running in to chop at offending limbs, if just to knock them away. The players fought and wrestled and tried not get crushed or ripped open for Kipling’s sixty seconds, and then a few more.

The demon’s shield went down with an audible pop.

The chain released, and Mason just about cheered before the creature’s huge wings spread as it staggered to its feet. It pulled back and tried to fly, but Mason and Breaker kept their grip.

“Kill it! Everything you’ve got! Hit me if you have to!”

It was probably the wrong thing to say to Seamus. Fiery missiles streaked like the man had been just waiting for the chance. Some definitely bounced off Mason’s back. Potions smashed and sprayed acid. Mason even felt Nature magic in the air, some kind of growth forming out of his spilled blood.

The demon slashed him across the chest, breaker across the face, desperately trying to get away. But Phuong was cutting it for real now. Carl materialized and started prison shanking. The spearmen were up and jabbing and forming a fresh wall of blades to hedge it in.

The demon roared in Mason’s face, and he summoned his sword-Claw in a wolf hand, and rammed it straight in with Exploiting Strike.

The force blasted straight through and pierced skull twice. The demon wavered and dropped to a knee. The bear and players ripped it apart.

[Dungeon optional raid event complete. Experience and additional end reward enhanced.]

Optional? Well. God damnit. But also good, Mason supposed.

“OK.” He winced as he activated Shared Pain. “I’ve had better plans. But it’s dead.”

“To be fair, chiefy, most of your plans are pretty much like that,” Seamus said, and a few players laughed. Mason glared but couldn’t help but grin. The others stared at him or made faces.

“You’ve uh, got some demon chunks in your, uh, fangs there.” Carl cleared his throat. Mason was too happy with the dead demon to care. He spit ichor and kicked the corpse, giving Breaker a pat on the shoulder.

“Good work. Quite a test for your first fight.”

First? Breaker yawned. Many fights, Unbroken. Too many to count.

Mason grinned and didn’t bother reminding the creature of his name. He could tell it didn’t care, and ‘unbroken’ was pretty good as far as nicknames went. The fight had reminded him how powerful the bear was, but he could feel the balance now.

The bear’s incredible strength came in bursts. Already the animal’s energy was waning, draining down some invisible hourglass. He’d need to be sent back and left alone for awhile to recharge, probably for longer than the rest of the dungeon would take.

“Go on,” he said, unsummoning it. “You earned a rest.”

Mmm. Yes. Very tired. I’ll sleep awhile. Stay out of trouble, druid.

Not likely, Mason thought, watching the cooldown start. He’d summon Streak when he could, but it would be an hour. He sat down and let out a breath, looking over the others. He saw minor cuts and bruises, and a nasty gash on Garet’s arm. But they’d come out of it pretty well.

“I have a heal spell,” Demi said, going pink when the others looked at her. “It’s a little…weird, but it works. Do you want me to…?”

“No, save your mana. That goes for you, too, Alex. We’re fine. Drink your Rosa pots.”

“Just fyi,” Becky said, looking at his leg. “Your bone is showing.”

Mason looked at the healing wound and shrugged. Would it disturb them more if he said it hurt but he was OK? Or that it didn’t hurt enough to notice? He didn’t have the attention to care anymore. He just stood and stretched, still feeling the very useful effects of Duality and Transformation.

His bow would be a bit hard to use like this, but he was comfortable just ripping the next thing to shreds up close.

After giving his players a chance to do their best, of course.

He looked at the next series of narrow ground leading towards the other side of the cave. There were other platforms, then a red mist at the far side of the giant cavern.

The oracle’s vision had only taken him this far, so they were doing the rest of the ‘raid’ blind. And it hadn’t gone perfectly even when they weren’t blind.

Mason was still confident, but he hoped things didn’t get too much worse. After a mana-check, it turned out Alex, Demi, and Seamus’ mana were all good, but Becky’s had taken a hit. He expected she’d saved Garet down in that hole.

“Ready to move?” he said, looking at the others after a few minutes of sitting and smearing themselves with ointment, or chugging potions. They all nodded, determined eyes making him smile.

“Carl and I will scout platforms. Keep up on the narrow strips, but wait until I give the word to move up or fall back. Here we go.”

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