HC: Handyman | Ch. 236 - Ghastly Standoff

Jack got up, ears still ringing from the impact. When the Mastodon rammed the carriage, everyone aboard had been thrown clear. Jack had landed on a patch of caltrops for good measure.

Pain lanced through his hands and knees as he pushed himself up. The caltrops bit deep. He gritted his teeth and forced his body into motion. No time to check the damage.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Horace shouted, scrambling back into the carriage.

The carriage was barely holding together. The ceiling had warped inward, and the three layers of recently added chitin had peeled away like scorched parchment. The steel front was caved in, a massive dent at its heart. Without Horace reinforcing it with those chitin layers, the whole thing would’ve been scrap.

Jack peeked over the edge of the ditch. The Mastodon staggered below, dazed.

“It’s weakened! Throw everything you’ve got!” Horace roared.

Even from atop the ruined carriage, the beast was within reach of the infantry. Club-wielders slammed down in rhythm like war drums. Goat Knights struck with swift jabs from the rear. Marie hurled bombs and concoctions—each burst a riot of smoke and color.

Amari dashed in with claws flashing. Rob danced wide around the Mastodon’s flank, daggers flashing in coordinated bursts.

And Jack was already deep into Sonic Valley.

The air reeked of smoke and scorched chitin. Every strike rang out over the roaring chaos below.

The Mastodon stirred. Its massive head shook off the fog. It rose—unsteady, but enraged. Trapped in the ditch and blocked by the wreckage, it couldn’t escape. So it turned its fury on the only thing standing between it and the fortress.

It began pounding the carriage—tusks, trunk, rage. Each blow warped the metal further. Dents spread like bruises. The frame groaned.

“Everyone! Retreat!” Horace shouted. “The carriage won’t hold!”

Jack played the final note of Sonic Valley. The dissonant melody rang out.

The Mastodon’s eyes glazed over. Hope flickered—just for a second.

Then it snarled—and shook it off.

Jack’s heart sank.

Its tusks shimmered—then pulsed with a violent hum, like a tuning fork struck too hard—as it activated a damage skill and unleashed all its fury.

With a final, monstrous CRASH, the barrier exploded into twisted metal.

The Mastodon began to climb—massive forelegs hooking over the ledge as its hindquarters strained in the ditch below.

Heroic Charge!

Horace surged forward, blazing with radiant light. He slammed into the Mastodon’s skull, shield-first. With his sky-high stats, the blow was actually strong enough to stagger the beast.

The Mastodon reeled. One colossal foot slipped on the ridge—

“Who’s stronger now?!” Horace shouted, laughing.

—but the boss recovered quickly.

It pressed forward, resuming its climb.

Marie appeared beside him. “Let’s fear him. Together. One, two, three.” They locked eyes—then moved in perfect sync.

Ghastly Wail!

Two blood-curdling screams tore through the air, a duet of anguish. They sounded like dying beasts—wounded, twisted, howling their last. The same fear skill the marabou elites had once used to devastate their team now struck at the Mastodon’s mind.

This time, it landed.

The Mastodon’s momentum faltered. Its breath caught in a ragged snort. Its eyes widened—not with pain, but primal fear. Muscles locked. Fur bristled. Then its footing gave way—and it crashed backward into the ditch.

It lashed out in fury, trunk whipping toward the ledge with force enough to crush stone.

Horace raised his shield.

BANG!

Dust exploded outward. The ground trembled.

Miss!

Horace didn’t budge.

He smiled beneath his helm. “Soldiers! While it’s stuck—we hold it here! Buy time for the ranged units!”

“Yes, sir!”

The remaining foot soldiers rushed to his side, weapons raised. The Goat Knights, Rob, and Amari drove steel and skills into the Mastodon’s rear legs, while the front line held firm.

For a moment, the beast was pinned—caught between a rock and a hard place. Its front legs scrabbled for traction on level ground, while its back half strained in the ditch.

Marie’s eyes darted to the gate. “Now’s our chance—before it recovers! To the walls!”

The Mastodon swiped at Horace again. This time, the trunk struck true.

Horace staggered back several steps—but didn’t fall. With a roar, he lunged forward, shield raised, and slammed back into the fray.

Jack ran behind the One-Eyes, Christoff, and Marie. Behind them came the thunderous cries of the Mastodon and the brutal clang of its tusks and trunk hammering Horace’s shield. As he ran, Jack played Sitting Wind, trying to infuse stamina into those still locked in melee.

They reached the fortress gate. As soon as the last of them passed through, the gate slammed shut behind them. The group scrambled up the battlements.

The sounds up top were deafening—no whistles of arrows or javelins here. Just the whir of turret gears and the thunk of heavy projectiles launching skyward.

From the wall, the battlefield stretched out in full view. Jack could see the entire path the Mastodon had carved through their defenses—cleared caltrops, smashed terrain, and the shattered remains of the carriage littered its charge. And still, it pressed forward.

His eyes found the beast.

It was still stuck at the edge of the ditch, clawing for purchase. And there—gleaming copper from helm to boots—stood Horace. A few foot soldiers were still beside him. The rest had been thrown aside earlier. Two of them weren’t moving.

Two more down. Jack clenched his jaw.

But Horace stood unmoving. Fearless. Still holding the line.

“What a tank,” Jack muttered, awe threading through his voice.

“Haha, he’s good,” Marie said, winding up a throw. “But that’s just all the buffs stacked on him. Right now, he’s basically a one-man army.”

She let fly.

The grenade arced perfectly and burst in a flash of green fire and hissing smoke. The Mastodon reeled—its health bar dipped another sliver.

Turrets fired. Arrows peppered its hide. The beast writhed in place—massive, cornered, but far from finished.

Jack raised his ocarina.

He launched into March of the Embers, followed by Dance of the Turtles, and then Sitting Wind in rapid succession. The melodies twisted into one another, quick and sharp, pulsing across the field like a command. Fighters braced. Strikes landed harder. The tempo of battle tilted in their favor.

The Mastodon’s health dropped below 60%.

Then—it happened.

The flame that had linked them all—the shared spark of [Strength Through Unity]—flickered out.

Jack felt it instantly. The warmth in his limbs vanished. His boosted stats dropped to normal. The invisible network between them—the shared rhythm, the flow—was gone.

The Mastodon felt it too.

With a furious bellow, it reared up again—then slammed down. The ledge dulled the impact, softening the shockwave, but it was still enough. Nearby soldiers were knocked off their feet, thrown back in a spray of dust and grit.

The Mastodon hauled its massive body out of the ditch.

Its gaze locked onto the fortress.

Closer than ever.

It started forward.

A guttural snarl escaped its throat. But with its very first step—the ground betrayed it.

Click. Snap. Crack.

Dozens of traps triggered at once. Bear traps snapped shut on its legs. Stakes pierced from below. Ropes tangled around its limbs. Caltrops and broken glass tore into its pads.

The beast tried to push through, roaring in pain—but every agonizing step triggered more.

Snap. Clang. Whirr.

Damage numbers erupted above its head like fireworks, each one punctuated by another grunt of pain. It tried to build momentum, but every step only tangled it deeper—bear traps clamping, ropes tightening, spikes biting, glass crunching underfoot.

A stake pierced through the muscle of its left leg. The beast howled and stumbled sideways—right into another trap.

They’d spent dozens of hours—and who knows how much gold—littering this killing zone with traps. Now, all that effort was paying off. The Mastodon’s health was dropping fast.

The toll of the earlier beating was catching up to it, too. Marie’s acids and poisons were still at work, eating away.

Even as it pushed forward, the Goat Knights and rogues hounded it relentlessly. Lances stabbed. Blades flashed. The Mastodon’s bellows turned to screams.

Shield Bash!

Pommel Strike!

Pommel Strike!

Every time a control skill came off cooldown, Rob, Amari, and Horace used it—trying to stop the beast’s momentum. Back when it had full health, those skills had barely registered. But now, little stuns and staggers were starting to land.

Jack saw his moment.

He raised his ocarina—and launched into Sonic Valley once more. The dissonant intervals rang out, sharp and piercing, carried by Tramontane’s current. The sound twisted through the air, snaking across the battlefield, seeking the Mastodon’s mind.

Jack’s melody ended just as the Mastodon reached the center of the killing field.

This time, the effect stuck—confusion clouded its eyes. The beast staggered in erratic S-curves, like a drunkard, blundering into more traps. Damage poured in from every side.

Jack shifted seamlessly into Lily’s Lullaby.

The confusion faded—but the Mastodon’s movements slowed. Frost crawled across its thick hide. Jack’s breath caught. Yes! Tramontane’s frostbite effect had finally procced.

For two full seconds, the Mastodon was frozen.

Every unit seized the moment. Skills flared. Blades flashed. Explosions burst across its hide.

The ice cracked, and the beast resumed its assault.

Jack kept playing. Note after note of the lullaby poured from his ocarina. He could feel the melody gaining weight—momentum—like a current pulling the battlefield into rhythm.

Then the song ended.

And the effect stuck.

The Mastodon faltered. Its massive body drooped. Each step grew sluggish, as if it were finally feeling the weight of its wounds, of the poison, of the battle.

But the fortress was so close.

Too close.

Something primal snapped inside it.

The Mastodon trumpeted—a wild, echoing call that shook the canyon walls—and activated its charge skill. The sluggishness vanished in an instant. It surged forward, pain ignored, mind blank with purpose.

The traps still worked—spikes bit deep, chains snapped tight—but the beast tore through them, mid-charge, unstoppable.

It leapt the ditch again, slamming headfirst into the fortress gate. The walls shuddered. Pebbles rained from the battlements. Dust blasted from the seams.

But the gate held—just barely.

The Mastodon stumbled back, crashing into the shallow ditch at the base of the wall.

Then—the Sun Towers roared to life.

Flames spilled down like molten judgment, engulfing the beast in blazing arcs of fire. It bellowed. It staggered. Its health plummeted faster than ever.

And yet—it kept going.

As it reeled from the head trauma, their formation snapped into place.

Horace took the front, planting himself between the Mastodon and the gate. Rob, Amari, and the others flanked the beast from the sides.

“Quick! We can do this! Keep going!” Amari shouted.

20%... 15%...

The team poured everything they had into it, but it was the Sun Towers that were doing most of the work.

At 10%, the Mastodon’s eyes turned blood-red. Its muscles bunched. The beast let out a distorted trumpet, more fury than sound.

Berserk mode.

Its strikes doubled in speed and power.

Horace braced, absorbing what he could—but the onslaught was overwhelming. And without the buffs from [Strength Through Unity], he was running out of time. 

Battle Call!

Horace buffed himself as much as he could, but even with every skill, every ounce of defense, he was being battered back.

Shield Bash!

He slammed his shield into the Mastodon’s skull, forcing it back a step.

But the trunk lashed out in response—fast as lightning.

Copper Skin!

Cobalt Sheen!

Horace endured—damage reduced, evasions sharpened—but the berserk flurry was relentless. His boots dragged grooves in the dirt. Each blow rang through his shield like a war drum. His health ticked down—fast.

Time seemed to freeze for Jack.

More of their NPC army was dying. Horace’s health was seconds from zero. The Mastodon still stood, and the gate—barely holding—was next.

They weren’t going to make it. Not like this.

There wasn’t enough damage left to bring the beast down before it broke through, and at this point, debuffs were a gamble.

He swallowed hard. There was no time to second-guess.

Jack raised his horn. Here goes nothing.

Ta-ta-ta-TAAA-ta-ta-ta-TAAAA.

You’ve played [Start of the Hunt] Call.

Ta-TAA. Ta-TA, Ta-TA, Ta-TAAAA. Ta-TAA. Ta-TA, Ta-TA, Ta-TAAAA.

You’ve played [Attack Call].

You’ve played [Attack Call].

+40% attack

-20% defense

-20% block

Buff duration: 20 minutes.

A double-edged call—more damage, less defense. Their last shot at bringing the beast down before it broke through.

Horace felt the change immediately. The Mastodon’s next blows landed harder. He staggered, shield raised—and fell. His form scattered into motes of light.

Jack bit his lip. He would’ve died anyway, he told himself. But now—at least—they had a chance.

With Horace gone, the Mastodon turned its fury back on the gate.

“Now! Throw everything you’ve got!” Amari shouted.

His body shimmered red as he activated [Self-Grief], burning life for power, carving into the Mastodon with reckless fury. Rob joined in, unleashing everything he had. Marie hurled her costliest bombs. One exploded in a flash of iridescent flame, coating the Mastodon’s hide in corrosive fire.

It was now or never. Turrets fired. Arrows flew. Every remaining unit unleashed everything they had left.

10%... 7%... 4%... 3%...

But the gate was falling apart. Each strike of the Mastodon’s trunk splintered it further, iron supports groaning, seams cracking wide. The fortress wouldn’t hold.

The Mastodon reared back for one final blow—

—and Jack finished Tenderizing Repercussions on his ocarina. A percussive shockwave blasted out, staggering the beast for a heartbeat.

Just long enough.

The Sun Towers didn’t let up. Fire poured down, relentless and searing.

The beast collapsed, consumed in flame, its massive form crashing down in the shallow ditch.

Jack lowered his ocarina, chest heaving. It was over. They’d won.

Ch. 235 - Wave 50

INDEX

Ch. 237 - The Defending Heroes