Lewd Dungeon, Chapter 406

Chapter 406 – Focus

However, the champion did not attack straight away. “Well, well, well. You are the first group of adventurers from Bluemountain to make it this far in the dungeon. Most of the ones who have come here usually falter by the time they get to the Black Temple, and leave, in search of easier fare. They were too used to ‘normal’ dungeons, and were thus ill-prepared for what my Lord’s dungeon had to offer.”

Rhys shook his head. He wasn’t going to complain if the Level 40 Blacksoul Protector wanted to give them a little more time to rest before the fighting started. “Having come this far myself, I can understand why some would stop there. Lord Kuronoth’s trials are not for the faint of heart, and even the most steadfast warrior could be worn down by the battles in the Black Temple, especially if they are forced to carry the burden of being the sole key for their team. Thankfully, I was able to rest before the boss fight of that floor.”

“True enough,” Tels Xuan nodded. “But we have paused to chat long enough. Now, let us see if you are worthy of continuing on through the Lord’s domain!”

Tels kicked off the ground, launching herself forward. Teffany slid in front, her shield blocking the gleaming blade. However, whether it was some function of the blade’s enchantment, or just a sign of the Blacksoul Protector’s power, it scored a deep gash in the face of the shield, dropping its durability significantly.

Twang

The strange crossbow atop the gun Tels held in her off-hand fired, even as her blade met Teffany’s shield. With a cry, Emblema staggered back, clutching the crossbow bolt in her belly, but didn’t rip it out. “Damn it all! The crossbow bolt is a Magebreaker! Ten minutes after removal, but the bolt is barbed!”

Magebreaker weapons were not uncommon in the higher tiers, though they were less common than Mageslayers. There was a reason for that, of course. Mageslayers amplified the damage done to creatures who had magic or psychic powers not of divine origin, with the degree of amplification depending on the strength of the enchantment. Magebreakers, on the other hand, sealed one’s non-divine magical or psychic powers. For a Magebreaker to seal someone’s magic for ten minutes, it was a high-end enchantment, to be sure. Having the bolt be barbed, so that it did more damage when being drawn out, unless one took the time to do it properly, was extra wicked.

Rhys quickly shouted out orders. “Teffany, keep her on you. Danyll, disarm. Emblema, focus defense. Merewen, healing. Elia, see if you can get the bolt out of Emblema. I’ve got the flying sword.”

Said sword nearly impaled him as it came streaking forward, but a shot from his [Blacksteel Spellbow] sent it flying off course. The damage from the force bolts the spellbow fired would not be enough to damage an artifact of that level, but the kinetic impact of the bolts was enough to push it off course. Which meant that he was the best counter to the flying blade in the group, now that Emblema’s magic was sealed.

Trusting his pets to keep Tels occupied and everyone healthy, Rhys focused his efforts on the sword. His [Hellthorn Razorwhip] and [Blacksteel Spellbow] couldn’t damage the sword, but they could contain it. Every time the sword came at him, the Spellbow blasted it off course. Even when it tried to move in ways impossible for a mortal wielder to pull off, the unerring bolts moved faster than the blade. When the sword tried to strike at one of his pets, he lashed out with the whip, and drew it back towards him.

The MP and SP used was minor. Not enough that he needed to worry about it. However, the focus needed was immense. The blade moved with the speed of a master swordsman, but struck at chaotic angles only possible thanks to its nature. Rhys was an experienced fighter, but he knew better than to call himself a master of any martial discipline. Still, with his weapons, the situation was manageable. Barely.

He didn’t have the attention to spare for the wider battle. Sight and sound faded into singular focus as he tracked the blade. He knew Tels had not fallen, because the sword was still attacking. He knew his pets were still fighting, because he didn’t have the Blacksoul Protector’s sword sprouting from his chest. He didn’t need to know more than that right now.

Shoot. Lash. Dodge. Shoot. Shoot. Duck. Lash. Slash. Dodge. Shoot. Bind. Backstep. Shoot. Slash. Shoot. Shoot. He did not think. He did not have time to think. All was him and the blade.

Shoot. Dodge. Lash. Duck. Shoot. Sh—

The blade paused mid-swing, and then clattered to the ground. A moment later, it disappeared into nothingness. Rhys staggered, the fatigue of the fight catching him all at once now that his focus was broken. Dazedly, he turned, and saw his pets looking back at him. The fight was… over?

He took a breath, forcing himself to stop, and think, instead of just acting and reacting. Looking at his pets, they were all still alive, at least. None of them were looking in particularly great shape. The champion was a floor boss for a reason, after all.

Teffany’s shield was destroyed. Maybe half of it still remained, and there were vicious gashes in her armor that shouldn’t have been possible with a normal blade. She was still standing, though, so clearly the healers had stayed on top of things.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t the worst off, from the looks of things. Emblema grit her teeth in pain, one hand holding the bloody stump of her right arm where it had been taken just below the elbow. Merewen and Eria had vicious wounds to their torsos, which looked like someone had taken some kind of explosives to them. Fortunately, both healers knew the value of good defenses, so they weren’t dead, but neither of them were all that good. The worst, though, was Danyll. The former man turned woman was on the ground, her face twisted in pain as she lay on her back, having lost both arms and legs in the fight.

Grave wounds, but not fatal, not with two healers in the party. Already, everyone’s wounds had stopped bleeding. Eria, as a druid, had spells more suited for regenerating limbs, especially if the lost limbs were nearby, while Merewen had spells that would do better for the stabs, slashes, and apparent explosive wounds. Once the two healers had caught their breath a little, they could start working to restore everyone to full health. They had time to rest, at least.

“So, how bad was it?” Rhys asked.

“About like you’d expect, facing a geared and experienced fighter thirteen levels above us. Even five on one, she was a beast. Her sword had some kind of enchantment that did extra slashing damage, and dealt extra durability damage to shields and armor it hit. As you can see, Emblema and Danyll got the worst of it, despite me doing everything I could to keep her attention. Probably because Danyll managed to knock that weird gun out of her hand before she could do more than shoot Eria and Merewen a couple times.”

He raised an eye to Merewen, who grimaced. “The she didn’t use the crossbow function after the first shot. Probably only had a Magebreaker setting, and since the magic Eria and I use is classified as divine, despite Eria being a druid who is devoted to nature, it probably wouldn’t have done much to us. Unfortunately, the gun part of the weapon was very effective. Shot some kind of high-explosive rounds that blew up just past our shield spells.”

“Just past?”

“Indeed,” the priestess nodded. “I have heard mention of such things before. The force of the blast creates not just an explosion, but sends part of the shrapnel from the shot forward, as a superheated metal, which is naturally unhealthy for anyone in the way. They’re not common on Bluemountain, but some of the traders who’ve come by now that Vinastra no longer controls things have given demonstrations, and the Church of Selphie made sure to send word to all the chapels, so that we could recognize it, if we saw it.”

Rhys nodded. “That kind of a weapon, combined with a Magebreaker crossbow using barbed bolts? And with her two swords? There’s little wonder why she is a boss. And it probably also explains why the Pofmisians were so adamant about retrieving her. I doubt having someone like that in another’s hands was comforting to them, even if their zealotry didn’t cause them to go mad at the thought of her being enslaved.”

“Not to sound demanding,” Danyll chimed in from her position on the ground, “but perhaps if our healers have recovered enough mana, we could see about finishing things? And don’t forget the loot.”

The two healers looked down at the limbless rogue, and blushed in embarrassment. “Right,” Merewen said. “Let me heal up Eria’s wounds, and then she can start getting those limbs back on.”

Rhys chuckled, and motioned for Teffany to join him as he went over to the treasure chest that appeared in the middle of the arena, next to the familiar blue and orange portals that led either further into the dungeon, or back to the surface. As they moved, he looked her way. “Armor status?”

The Master Armorer sighed slowly. “Everyone’s armor is repairable, Master, which is good. While we have found some magic items in the dungeon, and some of them are even slight upgrades for our current gear, we haven’t seen full armor sets, yet, and the set bonuses help kick our gear up to another level. Bad news is that my shield is basically scrap metal. Maybe if I was a Tier 3 Armorer, I might be able to do something, but as it is, the only reason I haven’t thrown it aside is because even this wreck is better than nothing, at least until it finishes breaking. Honestly, at this point even one of the trash shields the goblins had on their floor would be better than this. And those were basically a plank with a handle on it!”

Hardened Shield of the Devoted Defender

Type

Shield

Rank

Rare

Price

184840 gp

Weight

15 lbs

This kite shield is designed to be used by a front-line defender, standing between the enemy and those who they are sworn to protect. Its bonuses increase based on the relationship the wielder has with their companions.

+1000 Defense

Hardened – This shield resists durability damage and armor piercing abilities. Such attacks from creatures at or below the wielder’s level are treated as if they do not have those properties. Such attacks from creatures above the wielder’s level but within the same Tier have those effects reduced by 50%. This ability has no effect on attacks from creatures above the wielder’s Tier.

Companion – When defending members of their party, the shield gives +5% to the wearer’s HP for each party member within 30 feet.

Lover – When defending individuals they have had sex with within the last local day, the shield gives +10% to the wearer’s total defense for each partner within 30 feet.

Thrall – When defending someone who has made the wielder their Thrall, all taunt or battlefield control abilities have their effects increased by 100%, so long as the Master is within 30 feet.

Slave – When defending someone who has enslaved the wielder, damage their Master receives from any source is reduced by the wielder’s Defense, so long as they are within 30 feet.

Master – When defending someone that the wielder has made a Slave or Thrall, damage they receive from any source is reduced by 10% for every Slave or Thrall of theirs within 30 feet.

The shield wasn’t the only piece of loot, but it is the one that both Rhys and Teffany focused on, at the moment. Their eyes met, and Rhys just grinned. “The Lord provides for his faithful servants.”