Rise of the Living Forge - Chapters 115-116 (Patreon)

They crushed creatures. There wasn’t a better way to put it. The next eight rooms of the dungeon went down one after the other, none posing any significant amount of threat. It certainly helped that Arwin’s hammer mowed through just about everything they ran into like a scythe through hay.

Arwin did his best to make sure the others got a good portion of the credit for the fights, but they were all more concerned with getting through the initial ranks of the spiders to reach the more interesting opponents – and there were a lot of spiders to get through. None of them got any achievements or advanced their tiers on the initial set of rooms. It probably didn’t help that there were so many of them and the challenge the dungeon posed was likely being trivialized partially by their numbers.

The majority of the enemies in the first few rooms were rabble. Even the larger spiders didn’t seem to be considered much of a challenge by the Mesh, though it was possible that they had just grown strong enough where they weren’t a major threat.

Whatever the reason, they made good time. Lillia gave up on trying to store more spider parts. She’d already stuffed her bag full of them and it didn’t look like there would be much of a shortage.

Even the eleventh and twelfth rooms only held several large Broodguards. Those became large splatters on the walls and the group took a short break to recover the small amount of energy they’d already spent before pressing any deeper.

“Well,” Anna said from where she sat leaning against Rodrick, looking around in the light cast by torches on the walls of the cave, “it’s certainly a dungeon.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Arwin said with a dry laugh. “Damn spiders everywhere. Nothing of use. It’s kind of getting on my nerves. There could at least be one that’s multicolored. Then I’d have more fun fighting it. Tossing the same swarm at me over and over is so boring.”

“You know, I never thought I’d use boring to describe any aspect of a dungeon,” Olive said, running a hand idly across one of the scratches on her breastplate, “but I think I might be with you. If I was solo, this would have been brutal. I probably would have gotten stuck on the third room and had to pull back. Groups are completely unfair.”

I think it might be our group than groups in general, but that would be too egotistical of me to claim.

“Either way, we’re well past what that guard warned us about,” Rodrick said. “I imagine we should be getting to the interesting bits soon enough. Spiders breed like little shits, you know that?”

“What do little shits breed like?” Olive asked.

Rodrick blinked, then frowned. “Er… it was a turn of phrase.”

“Yeah, I got that. But it didn’t make sense.”

“I – nevermind,” Rodrick said with a shake of his head. “Sometimes words just come out of my mouth before I think them through, you know? You got the idea.”

A small smile flicked across Olive’s mouth. “Yeah, I did.”

Reya grinned, then snuffed it out when she realized that Arwin was watching. She made it a point to flatten her features as if she didn’t care about the conversation going on.

I wonder what it is she doesn’t like about Olive. Despite her complaints, she hasn’t actually acted on anything. That means she doesn’t actually think she’s a threat or a problem. Odd. I’ll have to pull her aside and ask at some point. If she knows something I don’t, then I need to find out.

“I think the Mesh might be corrupting all of us,” Anna said. “Nobody sane would complain about a dungeon being too easy. I’m sure we could sell these spiders for some good money.”

“Not really,” Olive put in. “There are so many of them that the local market is already flooded. The last time I went in I had a luckier run – if you could call it that. There were some gemstone insects crawling around. I managed to kill one of them and it sold for a good price. That was just about the only thing I made any real coin off. The spiders went for a pittance.”

Anna scrunched her nose and let out a huff. “Oh. Well, that’s disappointing. Back to being a battle junkie, then. I want to kill things.”

“What happened to you?” Rodrick asked with a shudder. “My beautiful healer has turned into a bloodthirsty killer. Arwin is a bad influence.”

“Don’t blame me.” Arwin chuckled and pushed himself to his feet. He held a hand out to Lillia, who was sniffing at the bag of spider parts. She took it with a grateful nod.

“Thanks.”

“Spiders starting to go bad?”

“Not really. I was just thinking that we’re probably going to find rarer monsters the deeper we go. This dungeon seems pretty deep… so I’m not sure if it’s worth carrying all this crap around.”

“If it’s crap, why’d you take it in the first place?” Rodrick asked.

“Because I need something to feed you,” Lillia replied.

Rodrick sent her an affronted look and the rest of them chuckled.

“Everyone ready to keep moving?” Arwin asked, nodding to the pathway waiting before them. “I want to get my hands on something that I can actually use, and I’d like to find a monster that the Mesh actually considers a worthwhile threat for us so we can get something for killing it.”

“Agreed,” Lillia said as she turned the contents of her bag upside down and dumped everything out. “But mostly because I assume it’ll be a rarer monster that should taste better. At least, I hope that’s how it’ll work.”

“You might get more than what you asked for if you poke at the Mesh like that,” Olive said. She rose to her feet and drew her sword, rolling her shoulders. “I’m ready to keep moving, though. I’ve never been this deep so I don’t know what to expect.”

“Probably more spiders,” Anna said.

They all got up to their feet and took a moment to make sure they didn’t leave anything behind. Arwin then summoned his armor back to himself and, after one look to check back on the others, he started into the passage.

For several minutes they walked in silence. The echo of their steps through the cave the squeak of metal were the only sounds around them. Eventually the passage wound around a corner and came to an end in an open room.

Torchlight flickered from the walls to illuminate – surprisingly – a tile floor. It was cracked and covered with wear from years of disuse and weather. If there had once been any murals on the tiles, they were now long gone.

Cobwebs hung in the corners and covered the walls, but there weren’t nearly as many in this room as there had been in the previous ones. A bulbous carapace rested in the corner of the room, legs curled up to the sky. It looked to be one of the Broodguard spiders. Arwin’s eyes narrowed.

“Dead spider,” Rodrick whispered over Arwin’s shoulder. “Mesh heard us bitching.”

“The Mesh doesn’t actually directly interfere with things. That’s just a superstition,” Anna muttered back. “But I think Rodrick is right. Looks like there might be a spider predator down here somewhere.”

“Only one way to find out,” Arwin said. “Same strategy as always. Be ready to follow up.”

He waited a moment to make sure that Rodrick and the others were prepared. Then he stepped out of the passage and into the room. Verdant Blaze took form in his hands as he looked up at the ceiling, expecting another monster to drop from above.

There was nothing but plain stone. His brow furrowed as he turned to check out the rest of the room. Aside from the cracked tiles on the ground and flaking off the walls, there truly wasn’t much of interest.

As far as he could tell, the room looked empty. It was possible that someone else had come through it recently. That didn’t make much sense to him, though. The previous rooms leading up to this one hadn’t been cleared and he didn’t see any passages other than an exit that traveled deeper into the dungeon.

I suppose it’s possible someone worked their way up from below and then went back down, but that would be pretty odd. I can’t see why they’d do that unless they were running from something. And, if they were running from something, I’d assume that something would still be in the area.

Arwin walked further into the room. He kept his guard up and prepared to dive out of the way at the first sign of something moving. There didn’t seem to be any overt signs of a battle anywhere in the room, but the cracks running over everything made it hard to tell anything for sure.

He adjusted his grip on Verdant Blaze. There generally weren’t rooms in dungeons that were just left open. Monsters liked their space. They didn’t leave areas unoccupied for no reason. No, it was far more likely that he was just overlooking their opponent and it was lying in wait somewhere to strike.

He came to a stop in the center of the room and turned in a circle. There was nothing on the ceilings. The walls didn’t have enough cobwebs to conceal anything. No holes on the floor that indicated an opponent that buried beneath the ground either.

The only thing that was out of place in the room…

Arwin looked down at the tiles beneath his feet. The cracks running throughout them were surprisingly uniform in depth. His heart sank as he realized where the monster was. It wasn’t concealed or invisible somewhere. It was right beneath his feet.

He took a step back toward the hall, hoping he could make it off the ground before the creature moved. A rumble shook the floor beneath him and he cursed, nearly tripping as the tile started to shift.

Evidently the monster had been hoping that more of them would walk out onto it before it acted. Tiles rose up all around Arwin – but they were no tiles. They were thin plates of beige armor that covered the body of a massive, oddly flat centipede that had layered itself over the entire floor. Stone legs chittered against the ground as Arwin fought to keep his balance on the shifting sea of the monster’s body.

The monster’s head rose up over Arwin and its mandibles parted as a hiss rattled the room.

[Chattering Mimipede – Journeyman 6]

“I found the monster,” Arwin said.

Chapter 116

The Mimipede didn’t approve of Arwin’s dry humor. It bucked him into the air and its head shot out, mandibles parting with plans to swallow him whole. A shadow slipped away from the wall, grabbing Arwin by the waist and yanking him out of the way as a wave of blue energy washed over the monster’s body – stalling the creature for an instant and ensuring the attack failed to connect.

That minimum time on Imprison is really damn useful. Good choice, Reya.

“Thanks,” Arwin called to Lillia as her shadow released him. He dropped, falling toward the centipede below, and swung Verdant Blaze as he fell. There was no reason to waste all the extra momentum.

The monster churned like a vortex of stone below him. Its head tracked his movement and it tried to bite at him, but it wasn’t quite fast enough to catch him as he fell. Verdant Blaze struck its midsection with a resounding crash, empowered by [Scourge].

Flame rolled off the strike and the plate Arwin had hit cracked from the force of his strike. The monster thrashed in pain and launched him off, sending him hurtling into a wall. He struck it with a thud and dropped to the ground with a grunt of pain.

Rodrick and Olive both ran into the room, their weapons raised, and spread out in an attempt to keep the Mimipede from attacking all of them at once. The clatter of hundreds of legs grated against Arwin’s ears as the creature shifted. Its dark eyes flicked around them as its jaws worked, trying to choose a target.

“Do you need healing?” Anna called over the cacophony.

“No, I’m fine,” Arwin replied. He shook himself off. “I’ll keep its attention. Rodrick, Olive – I don’t know. Stab the damn thing. I don’t know what the best way to kill something like this is other than cut its head off – and I don’t think any of us have something large or sharp enough to do that.”

He ignited the head of his hammer with [Soul Flame]. The Mimipede’s eyes flicked down to him and it hissed in rage, lurching out for him. Arwin’s greaves already had a fair amount of energy coursing through them, but there wasn’t quite enough to activate them yet. He wasn’t keen on intentionally tanking a hit to draw on their benefits so he used [Scourge] to empower his legs and bound out of the way.

The Mimipede’s head crashed into the ground where Arwin had been standing and sent up a spray of stone and rock. It ripped itself free and thrashed around, spinning to search for Arwin.

Rodrick advanced while it was focused on Arwin. He jumped into the air and a platform made of shadow formed beneath his feet, giving him a boost to jump the rest of the way onto the creature’s back.

Olive only hesitated for a moment before following after him and using the same platform to join the fallen paladin on the Mimipede’s back. Arwin didn’t have time to watch how their efforts were going. He was forced to leap back as the monster crashed down where he’d been standing, using its own head like a wrecking ball to demolish the ground.

“I’d ask if you have a brain, but I suspect I know the answer to that. Can’t be much left if you swing it around like this,” Arwin complained to himself as his feet hit the ground and he took a few stumbling steps to steady himself.

A rumble in the earth told him that the Mimipede hadn’t given up on its attack. Instead of rearing up, it was just plowing straight through the ground toward him. Arwin reared back and poured all the power he could muster into [Scourge].

He could see Rodrick and Olive holding on for dear life, but there was no more time to focus on anyone other than himself. The Mimipede’s mandibles opened. A flicker of blue slammed into the monster and it ground to a halt for a flicker of a second, right before it could slam into Arwin.

His hammer flashed forward. [Soul Flame] erupted as it crashed into the Mimipede’s face with a resounding crack. The vibration from the blow raced down his arms and through his body, making his teeth rattle in his head.

Plates shattered and cracked on the monster’s face – and it slammed back into motion. Arwin’s eyes only had an instant to widen as he realized that his blow hadn’t been nearly enough to stop the creature.

Oops.

The Mimipede slammed into him. Arwin managed to jump to the side just enough to keep himself from falling into its jaws, but the sheer force of its massive body driving into him was enough to send Verdant Blaze spinning from his grip and rip the breath straight from his lungs.

Pain erupted through Arwin’s entire body and he coughed, the world going white. The Mimipede slammed him into the stone wall, sending another rip of pain through him. A hum of energy raced through his body as his greaves activated. Stars flashed before his eyes and he squinted, forcing his limbs to comply.

The Mimipede reared back, mandibles splitting open, and it darted forward to swallow him whole. Arwin pushed away from the wall and leapt into the air, ignoring the aching pain suffusing him. He flashed past the monster’s head and flew through the air, traveling a good bit farther than he’d intended to.

A bar of shadow formed before him and Arwin snagged onto it, swinging himself around like a monkey before turning his head over his shoulder to look down at the thrashing monster. Pain pulsated through his limbs and down his arms. He muted it, pushing everything into the back of his head. Even though his strike hadn’t completely stopped the Mimipede, it had done a good bit of damage.

Rodrick and Olive had nearly worked their way up to its head, but it was taking everything they had to keep from getting knocked off. Fortunately for them, the Mimipede was completely focused on killing the pest that had hit it twice now.

It ripped itself free from the wall and spun, its long form crisscrossing over itself in its search. Spotting Arwin hanging in the air, it let out a screech of fury and launched itself toward him.

Arwin released the bar. He dropped, passing beneath the striking Mimipede, and reared back. Verdant Blaze reformed in his hands and he landed on the monster’s back, bringing it down with a grunt.

Plating shattered beneath the hammer. [Shieldbreaker] wasn’t getting to properly stack because he was hitting different portions of the Mimipede, but it wasn’t quite so difficult to damage as it was large. Any injury that distracted it for long enough for Rodrick and Olive to finish it would be enough.

And distract it Arwin did. The Mimipede slammed into a wall and raced toward him, almost throwing the two on its back off in the process. It was a minor miracle that Olive was keeping her spot with only a single hand to work with.

It would be a bigger miracle if Arwin took another hit from the huge monster and didn’t break something important. He darted out of the way, using the enhanced abilities his greaves gave him to sprint past the creature’s head as it screeched against the stone.

He skidded to a stop at the entrance of the cave, the aching pain so intense that he could barely move his limbs correctly. He was pretty sure he’d broken more than a few bones from the strike he’d just taken. If it hadn’t been for his armor and [Indomitable Bulwark], he would have been a pancake.

Fortunately, Anna ran up to him the moment he stopped moving, magic already gathering at her hands. She pressed them into him and a wave of relief passed through Arwin. He only had an instant to enjoy it before the familiar grind of monster flesh on stone warned him of the centipede’s approach.

He shoved Anna back into the hall and leapt straight up, using [Scourge] to further boost his already empowered legs. Arwin took flight, his arms flailing to keep his balance, and the Mimipede passed beneath him like a stampeding horde contained into a single body.

Rodrick and Olive had made their way up to its head, but there was no way they’d get a chance to do much of anything in their current state.

I need to give them one more opening. I can do that.

Arwin dropped, bringing Verdant Blaze down on the Mimipede’s body to remind it who it was fighting. He needn’t have bothered. The monster screeched and turned before it could even hit the wall, racing toward him once more.

More maneuverable than that thing has any right to be.

Arwin reared back and gathered [Scourge]. Anna had healed a lot of the damage he’d taken, but he still couldn’t take another direct hit from this monster.

“Ramp!” Arwin yelled, hoping Lillia would understand his meaning. Fortunately, she picked up after just a second. Shadows materialized before him, forming into a sloping triangle that ran all the way up to him. It wasn’t much, but it would force the Mimipede to take a few extra steps before being able to bite at him.

The monster raced over the ramp – and Arwin jumped to meet it. He brought Verdant Blaze up into the bottom of its jaw and released the full might of [Scourge], leaving him with just a little more magical energy to work with.

A tendril of shadow shot up from the ground and grabbed Arwin’s legs, yanking him back down to the ground. Between it and the powerful blow he’d sent into the Mimipede’s head that directed it away from him, he just barely avoided getting plowed.

The monster passed overhead and slammed face-first into the wall with a resounding crash. A wave of blue gripped it, locking the creature in place for a split second. And, in that split second, Olive and Rodrick struck.

Rodrick’s blade ignited with burning light and he drove it into the left side of the Mimipede’s head. At the same time, Olive drew her own sword. Almost in spite of the speed she drew it, the blade moved through the air like a sluggard. Reya’s hold on the monster had already faded and it was in the process of pulling itself free of the stone when her cut landed.

The sword tore through its skin as if nothing was there. A pained scream erupted from the Mimipede’s mouth and it thrashed. Rodrick released his own sword, letting it plummet to the ground below, and grabbed onto Olive with one arm. He grabbed the rough body of the monster with his other.

It was precarious, but it was enough. Olive’s sword continued through the monster’s neck and she slid down its side, dragging the blade along its length until she’d nearly carved around its entire neck. Thick blood poured from the wound – her sword wasn’t anywhere near long enough to actually sever its head, even if she plunged it all the way through the monster – but the damage it had done was enormous.

Rodrick grabbed Olive and leapt to the side as the Mimipede slammed its body into the wall, trying to crush them. Lillia caught them both with a ramp of shadow and Arwin ran forward, drawing on his magical energy. The monster’s head was bleeding so profusely that he couldn’t help but take the opportunity.

He jumped.

The Mimipede spun, rabid panic in its black eyes.

Verdant Blaze slammed into the side of its head.

There was a wet rip as the hammer found purchase and tore the creature’s head right from the rest of its body, sending the huge chunk hurtling across the room. It rolled to a stop against the far wall and Arwin dropped to the ground, staggering and bracing himself against Verdant Blaze as he fought to catch his breath.

The Mimipede’s body collapsed all around them, finally falling still.

[Decapitated] – Awarded for assisting in literally knocking the head off a creature over 100 times your weight. That was quite the show.  Effects: Upgrade one of your existing skills. This achievement will be consumed immediately.