Now then, a fan of the series with whom I have had correspondence with, Yukicrewger2, added their own little contribution to Gaming for Glory... unfortunately, this boss battle dragged on into two chapters before I could write it in. So, for them, I'm treating the lot of you to a double feature this week.
My apologies to my Betas for breaking schedule again. Your job's already tough enough.
"Y'know, I can't believe I haven't tried cooking until now. It's not that I can't or anything, in fact I'm perfectly decent at cooking... I suppose when you get meals provided for you..." I mused as I checked in on the lasagne.
"Get back to the story." Nora whined.
"Oh, sorry, I got a bit side tracked... do you prefer spicy or mild tacos?" I asked.
"Spicy."
"Right-o... anywho, big, gnarly grimm, lots of cogs, and I'd given it a three-punch combo from some of my most powerful weapons before being dragged down for a big fight" I recounted, glancing at the photo evidence we'd lifted from school security on the other side that Lisica was presenting in a slideshow
The Grimm and I moved around one-another, not letting up at each other as Astartes crossed with the Grimm's weapon in rapid succession.
A Vault backwards allowed me to fling a bolt of lightning at the thing.
I noted with dread as I saw the attack deal negative damage (healing the thing) and caused it to emit a large cloud of steam, obscuring my vision like a smokescreen.
I let loose with a blind-fire from the Storm Bolter, before feeling the wind driven from my lungs as the back end of the creature's scythe blasted into my stomach.
I was propelled across the courtyard and a hefty chunk of MP was sacrificed to keep my health safe.
Note to self: Stay out of melee range.
It was obvious it was a melee monster from the start, but that was just a tad excessive, and that was coming from someone who basically ignored that word in his dictionary.
That spear-extension thing wasn't anywhere near as damaging (probably scaled off a different stat) and I had a reasonable expectation of dodging or parrying it.
So I'd have to kite like crazy until Lisica and Ravaora managed to get down here... which, given that Lisica had Ravaora in a bridal carry and was running for the edge, wouldn't be long.
Anti-Grav really helped with multi-person drops.
The Golem moved -fast- and slammed it's scythe where I had been standing until I'd flashed out of the way.
I quaffed a mana potion and spun up a pair of Soul Spears.
"Wait, what?"
"Raven helped me develop a few new spells based on old ones and theoretical work." I answered.
"Soul spears?"
"I'm gathering light into a massive, spiralling spike made of aura... considering aura is the light of the soul... and it was named after a soul-based spell I saw in a game once." I said.
"You can do that?"
"I can do shitloads with my aura. I just need to funnel it in the right way... it helps if I've got some indicators as to what I need to do to create a specific effect, like shaping it, or making it spin."
"Get back to the story!" Nora demanded.
"Right, so I basically teleported around a bunch, keeping out the way and launching as many ranged attacks as I could fit in... I mean, who wouldn't? The thing hit harder than Nora after a visit to the tesla Coil factory"
I ducked under another swing and with the power of me and my magic lightning hands I retaliated...
I then remembered that that had the opposite effect to the one I had intended.
I quickly sprayed it with Bolts (the explosive micro-rocket kind) in an attempt to make up for it... this was exactly the kind of foe I had designed the bullets to take care of.
The heavy ordinance gave it pause which I followed up with an attack from the deactivated power-bayonet I'd welded to the front before I flashed out.
The creature 'screamed' at me with that piercing steam whistle and reared back for another strike.
Lisica punched it from behind, and a quick reaction allowed me to give it a sky uppercut.
Ravaora unleashed Eldritch bolts in rapid fashion at the creature, most of them hitting as Lisica and I unleashed with our guns.
I quaffed a healing potion, and a mana one for good measure, and noticed my stock was running low.
I made a mental note to look into finding a recipe and growing the appropriate herbs and ingredients to make more... maybe start up a hydroponics lab...
But that was later. I had to win this fight first.
I hefted Astartes and got ready. This wouldn't a pleasant-
I was broken out of my thoughts with a scythe bearing for my head, which was blocked by Astartes, which I braced against the ground and followed up by a draw-cut from Raiden as the Grimm got closer. Ask any good spearman, back on earth, and they'll tell you to keep a one-handed sword for when enemies got inside spear-range... plus, say whatever you will about how shitty they are, Katanas are cool swords.
I sheathed Raiden again, since Astartes was nigh impossible to use one-handed (I wasn't exactly Lu Bu here, nor did Astarte's posses the weight of his halberd) and stepped back.
Lisica, Ravaora and I each took turns wailing on the thing, one of us was always keeping it distracted whilst another of us charged up some barrage or blast and another recovered and ran damage control.
It was a decent test of our ability to work together for sure.
This wasn't the tightly synchronized movements of Lisica and I dancing back to back against a numerically superior foe, but the loosely defined formations and roles of a MMO raid where everyone kinda did their own thing.
Lisica and I were constantly moving, using our, frankly, amazing speed, strength and thinking abilities to stay an entire voidwhale ahead of it and well out of reach, excepting the cases where the Golem targeted Ravaora, which meant we had to engage it straight up so Raven could re-locate somewhere safer.
We hit the beast with everything, and only succeeded in some elemental damage and setting it on fire. Even with the creature on fire, we still had to fight long enough for all of us to be thoroughly sick of this thing.
We weren't even sure who killed it, but when the Clockwork steam-monster lost pressure it was met with a weary cheer.
"So... Yeah, I kinda harassed it to death." I said.
"So why did you need us again?" Ruby asked.
"Because that's not quite the end of the story." I said.
"What the- what the fuck is this thing?" I said as I rifled through the loot
I held up a small, tar-black ball of what appeared to be a cold fire.
"a Gaean Legacy?" I asked firing off an observe
Gaean Legacy
Awarded by Gaea to those who perform valorous feats, these glowing balls hold a stunning abundance powerful and rare energiesCan be used to revive a chapter of legendary times, and grant strange and unusual effects to the item the legacy is applied to.
I whistled at the description as Lisica relayed it to Ravaora
I did what came naturally, as always, and applied it to my spear.
...of course, by strange and usual effects, I didn't realize it meant "my spear will light up like the sun before disappearing suddenly"
"Son of a bit- MY SPEAR!" I shouted "WHY!? I PUT SO MANY HOURS INTO MAKING AND DESIGNING THAT FUCKER! GIVE IT BACK!"
Lisica let me rant for a few moments before tapping my shoulder and indicating the new quest that had appeared.
The Great Crusade
Locate the pieces of Astartes, held by powerful Grimm
-Defeat the Deathclaw at the bottom of the Forest Cave to get the body
-Defeat the Raptor Queen in the Great Plains Nest to get the blade
-Defeat the Salamander in the Forever Fall Dungeon to get the mechanism
Reassemble Astartes
Reward: 50,000xp, Astartes (Legendary)
"A what did what?!" Ruby asked.
"Yep... so here I am, trying to convince you and your highly-skilled group of leg-beakers to help me out" I said, pulling the first lasagne out the oven.
Nora perked up visibly at that.
"Leg-breaking?"
"I need three specific enemies killed untill they're dead" I explained. "After food, of course. This is my first time flying solo on this recipe, so I want to see how it went."
"A Raptor Queen, a Deathstalker, and a Salamander?" Weiss asked.
"Eeyup; that's the long and short of it" I said.
"You're insane, right? Those are Grimm experienced Hunters have difficulty with." Weiss asked.
"I sometimes sit alone and wonder every now and then... but yeah. I'm looking to get my spear back, and there will be fun, fights, training, puzzles, and sweet, succulent Loot... I'd be happy to hand each of you a share in the loot." I said. "Money, Dust, and I'd put good Lien on the chances of rare and exotic artefacts... I still have a winding horn made from the horn of a large Tauros Port had me fight."
I produced said horn just to show I did indeed still possess the aforementioned artefact.
"I'll do it."
I peered across the crowd to see Jaune was the one who had spoken.
"Not to doubt you or anything, but just so you know: you'll be risking life and limb on what most would call a fool's errand." I said.
"You helped me out last term, and now you've come asking for our help." Jaune replied. "I kinda owe you for that."
"Thanks man. It means a lot to me that you'd do this." I said.
"If Jaune's going, so am I." Pyrrha said.
"Can I count on the rest of your team?" I asked, sending a glance to Nora.
"Yessir Mr. General, Sir!" Nora exclaimed.
"Someone has to keep Nora out of trouble." Ren added.
"Well, we're supposed to make decisions as a team," Ruby said, "so let's put it to a vote. I vote we help Cobalt get his weapon back. What would you guys do if Myrtenaster or Ember Celica went missing?"
"Y'know, when you put it like that... Alright, I'm in." Blake said.
"Same here. I don't know what I'd do if my babies went missing." Yang said.
"Damn, now I wish I'd baked a cake and not just dinner." I joked "this means a lot to me, thanks guys."
"Alright... I'm only going along because everyone seems all wept up in this madness. I hope you don't make a habit of getting us to clean up after your mistakes." Weiss said.
I drew Raiden from my inventory and activated the power module, making the bald crackle with electricity.
"I do try to own up to my fuckups, but I'm not stupid enough to assume I can clean this mess up on my own. I need extra hands and to make this thing a series of raids. We'll tackle each fight, one after another, everyone across both teams working together."
"That's awesome, but we've already got plans."
"plans?"
Elsewhere
"Uh-um... s-sir?"
"Report." Adam said into the telephone on his desk.
"About our latest shipment... It's gone." The grunt squeaked out.
"What?!"
"We were going to move some of the goods when it became apparent they were missing."
"There were eight shipping containers of Dust, and you tell me they went missing?!" Adam demanded.
"Not the containers... just the dust."
"That's several tonnes of refined dust, and you mean to tell me it just went missing? No one saw anything?" Adam demanded.
There was an almost deafening silence in the room.
"...Yes?"
"find it, or you'll have to personally explain to Cinder why her dust isn't coming" Adam said before hanging up
"That's the third one this month." Adam's Lieutenant noted from beside him.
"The worst part is that Cinder isn't going to like this." Adam noted. "Damned human. Why couldn't she choose someone else?"
Okay... so... This chapter really didn't want to be written. Every time I sat down and tried to write this, I immediately started drawing blanks.
Which is why the Clockwork Golem fight is so... underwhelming. Like, I could break this down into a play-by-play, true, but honestly, the fight, as it happens in my head, is that shameless thing that Dex Classes do when they meet a powerful opponent oriented around Melee that would destroy them if they ever got within arms reach: Kite that motherfucker and bury him under ordinance.
And I'd rather not write four pages of "and the golem almost got within striking distance, but Cobalt/Lisica teleported away because 'lolfuckyou'.", and I'm like, 70% sure you probably don't want to read that either... then again, you've read and enjoyed everything else up until now.
Who knows.
And I understand: all that shit about "showing, not telling", but Showing just killed the flow of creative juices every time without fail.
Review From: Guest
"I can't help but think you are stalling until you find out what Velvet's weapon is. Then you can make more fights with her in them."
Firstly, I would appreciate Guest Reviewers signing in/up. It gives me a name to use so I can credit you with a good question in these footnotes, and a way to reply and answer said questions personally if you just need something clarified, so long as it isn't classified.
As for your question: You would be correct.
So far I'm thinking it's got to do with her camera and photography; but I don't want to assume or create something, write it up, post the chapter, and immediately get contradicted by Roosterteeth when they come out with what Velvet's weapon/semblance is.
Because, for everything, Gaming for Glory is intended to go only somewhat off the rails until the Vytal Festival, when Cobalt springs his counter-trap... as a sort of literary scaffold, because a lot of my freehand work earlier was... less than stellar in my honest opinion.
Long Story Short: they weren't so much stories as long-winded meanderings of various ideas and concepts within the context of the setting.