054 The Way-Keeping Boss

“Are you crazy?” I yelled as the noxious mist wafted over our group.

“I am,” Paz said with crossed arms. “And, you are not crazy enough. You wish to avoid facing Byron until we are strong enough to match him. Yet, you cower away from other chances of growth.”

“We are not ready!”

“And, we’d never be if you maintain that mindset.” Paz loosened his shoulders. “Special bosses offer some of the best loot in the dungeon. I’m not passing that up.”

I ran a hand through my hair. This was why I had stuck to being a loner in my former life. Dealing with people was just too difficult.

“Fair enough," I said at length. "But, you could have mentioned that and convinced me from the get-go! Forcing us to fight while unprepared is practically suicide.”

“What do you need to prepare for?" Paz asked. "We’re best served thinking on our feet.”

“Um, guys,” Nicola said, clasping a hand over her mouth. “I think we’ve been poisoned.”

True enough, the Poisoned icon appeared in the upper right corner of my vision. My health meter dipped downward in tandem, by about two percent.

“I’m also low on Eros,” Nicola continued with her voice taking on a frantic pitch. “I won’t be able to help as much as I should.”

“Well, do something about it,” Paz said.

Nicola shot him a sour look.

“No, he’s right,” I said, glancing at the pair of red eyes drawing closer to us. “Empower yourself in any way you can. We’ll need your Crimson Desire in full bloom.”

The poisonous mist had thrown me off kilter, but we couldn't afford to linger any further. Since the boss monster wasn’t interested in rushing up to us, maybe we could chip away at its health from the doorway?

“Damien, don’t look at me,” Nicola said, dropping her cuirass. Her suction cups peeked out from beneath her see-through robes.

“Shouldn’t that be the opposite?” I asked. “I thought your ability works when bathed in multiple sources of lust.”

“Well, you make me feel self-conscious. I’m a little more ashamed than I want to be.” She paused. “I t-think it’s w-working. I just got a small boost in power.” Her robes tumbled to the ground.

“Woah . . . You’re not thinking of fighting in the nude, are you?”

“We’ll keep her safe,” Paz said, leveling his poleaxe. “Best get moving, Damien. We’d die of poison at this rate.”

Nicola stepped out of her clothes, keeping her gaze hidden beneath her hat. I almost ordered her to clothe herself, but something about her trembling lips and the shiver in her legs gave away the nature of her emotions.

She enjoyed this.

“Regular attack,” I commanded. “Let’s see if we can deal damage from outside the door.”

Nicola acquiesced. A dim glow of light appeared within the room as a purple sigil flared to life. The [Summon Tentacle] spell sprouted beneath the monster, then promptly disappeared.

The red eyes narrowed. However, the monster didn’t advance any faster. A health meter didn't appear over its head either—the surest sign of damage.

Drat. So, the demon boss stayed protected as long as the attacker remained outside the doorway. You couldn’t offer me an exploit just this once, [System]?

I grabbed Nana's Dagger. “Once you gather enough Eros, Nicola, start preparing your mega spell. We move forward in three!”

Our party advanced. Dim lighting lit up our surroundings, revealing a red and black checkered floor. The door behind us slammed closed. Noise from outside the room signaled the lowering of the walls.

A guttural growl emanated from the boss monster as it finally charged to meet us. Heavy footfalls resounded throughout the room.

Within seconds, the monster closed the distance and reared its two front legs in a display of strength.

Primal Horse Snake Chimera LVL 25.

Oh, god. Not another one of these beasts.

The primal horse snake stood twice as tall as I did, covered in a luxurious coat that bunched up across its chest. Four, powerful legs supported its horse-shaped body, which looked better defined than Paz’s did—if that was even possible. Long, white hair flowed down its equine head, brightened by the flames that issued from its nostrils.

A sinuous shape rose from its rear—a tail in the form of a snake with its hood opened in the universal sign of aggression. Poisonous mist spewed from the mouth of the snake, flooding the entirety of the room.

The Primal Horse Snake Chimera took off at a full gallop toward us. Paz and I flowed forward, dispensing with needless words.

A grey filter tainted my vision as [Dark Stalker] took hold. Paz intercepted the creature from the left, striking with the combined force of [Overpower] and [Draconic Drive]. I struck from out of the shadows on the right, winning shallow strikes in the monster’s flank.

Hey! It seems you are afraid.

+1 has been added to all stats.

Contrary to its bulky appearance, the primal horse snake proved tremendously spry. It swung its hooved legs at Paz, nearly taking his head.

Paz caught the subsequent strike on his poleaxe but couldn’t resist being tossed aside by the force.

I materialized behind the monster and jammed my dagger up its hindquarters.

The horse snake kicked backward.

I didn’t bother with blocking—my HP wouldn’t survive the blow. I ducked around instead and raked my dagger across its tendons.

The hooded snake swiped at me from out of nowhere.

Why were its fangs so long?!

I scrambled for cover, right as a magic sigil brightened the room.

The [Bloom of Crimson Desire] battered the monster.

True to Nicola’s admission, her most damaging ability didn’t land with as much power as it could. The Primal Horse Snake’s health dipped by a little over ten percent. An impressive figure, nevertheless.

Nicola could only manage three more blooms before she ran out of MP, including the reserve stored on the magic ring. Paz and I needed to find a way to reduce the monster’s health by about fifty percent between us.

. . . And, all that while keeping an eye on our Poisoned status to avoid succumbing to it.

“Think fast, Paz,” I warned, as the horse snake fought free of the tentacles and galloped for the redhead.

Paz danced around the monster, leaning into the benefits granted by his skills. He fought even better with a weapon than he did barehanded, and it showed in the ease with which he parried the monster’s attacks.

The horse snake’s hooves landed with the force of cannons behind them, but Paz stayed one step ahead. His poleaxe scythed through the air, scoring multiple hits on the monster’s flank and belly.

I emerged from out of [Stealth] on interval to add my damage to the mix. We leaned on the benefits of Paz's [Draconic Aura] and the fact that both of us had hands with working fingers, a feature that hindered the monster.

Frustrated by its inability to connect a single blow, the horse snake reared and bathed Paz in a stream of liquid fire. It shaved a massive amount of HP from the redhead, but he managed to roll away before he could fully be toasted.

A second [Bloom of Crimson Desire] went off beneath the monster.

I emerged from out of the shadows again to take advantage of the distraction, keeping clear of the monster's powerful back kick.

I got several slashes in before the primal horse snake pirouetted and swung at my face. It pounced around me in a dizzying series of jumps, striking furtively with its hooves each time it did so. Thin, long fangs dove for my neck as the tail snake joined the attack.

I’d equipped a second dagger in my offhand, so it was a simple matter of leaving a [Decoy] in place and dual-wielding my way out of the melee. The [Decoy] vanished as the snake’s fangs closed around it, giving me the chance to strike the writhing serpent thrice and fade back into the shadows.

“Some cover, please!” Nicola said as the horse snake switched targets for her.

Paz intercepted the monster. His heavy swing connected with the equine in a blow that promised a world of hurt. Paz swung his poleaxe in preparation for a return swing and missed the tail snake lunging for his shoulder.

His eyes going white in his head was all the warning we got before he dropped like a sack of potatoes. But, I didn’t stop to worry about his well-being. Paz would return which meant I needed to fill his role in interim.

The ground rumbled as a mass of giant tentacles sprouted beneath the monster, ensnaring it for a third time. Nicola was getting impeccable with her timing on these shots.

The attack brought the chimera’s health to around twenty percent. We had really controlled this fight, huh?

The tail snake retracted from Paz’s shoulder to help free its main body, but I was already within reach.

I struck it across the snout, fearing no retaliation from the rest of the horse which struggled with Nicola’s binds. The snake tried to repel me but met the side of my dagger again and again until its entire health meter emptied.

The Primal Horse Snake Chimera neighed in pain and belched a river of flame onto the ground. The raging fire destroyed the persisting tentacles, reducing them to motes of dust, and promising to do the same to me if I didn’t get the hell out of dodge.

I shielded my face from the heat, feeling my tongue go dry from exertion. I needed to escape the fire . . .

But, not before I aimed a final strike which had overextended in attack. Toxic blood splattered the ground as the snake’s head separated from the rest of its body.

The Primal Horse Snake Chimera bellowed at the wound and leaped back a few meters. Flames kept spewing from its mouth.

I rolled away to escape the heat and the smoke peeling at my eyes. Twin pinpricks blossomed on my chest. The severed snake head had leaped off the ground and clamped its jaws around my torso.

Bloody hell.

You have been envenomed by Primal Horse Snake Chimera.  

You have been Poisoned!

You have been Dreadfully Poisoned!

Health regen has reduced to zero.

Stamina regen has reduced to zero.

You have been afflicted with Paralysis!

I tumbled face-first into the fire, limbs as heavy as lead.

My eyes fluttered shut amid a shriek from Nicola.

Goddammit. And, it had been a good fight too.