Date posted: 29th October 2020
Tigercry going overdrive in getting this done!
Note: Had to reupload twice due to bugs. You may have gotten an alert beforehand.
CHAPTER X
You have been running for the last eight hours.
By the time you reach the last of the warlord's tomb, the sun is only just setting. Only the undead orc following in your party is unperturbed.
The same cannot be said of you, however.
The priestess' brewed tonic has allowed you to run without tiring for a considerable time. That time is up. You crash before the entrance of the tomb.
Other than the odd mob of zombies, you encounter no enemies. You are not Exhausted, you are Very Exhausted. The debuff you receive to your attributes and skills are immense. You are in no shape to fight.
The Black Swordsman collapses to a knee, his sword tip burying itself into the ground. "The hell I'm not, I need to stab that necrodick."
"Come on!" Sino uses her rifle as a walking staff to keep herself upright. "We need to stop the Elusive Douchebag!"
Silica collapses spread-eagled onto the floor, having the heaviest armour of the team has taken its toll. "P-Pina wills it …"
Argo slouches against the nearest wall. "I-I just need a little nap, and a drink. You still got some of that Beast with you, Silica-chan?"
Everyone roll for Willpower.
"Hah! We all make it!" says the swordsman.
Cool, now add the Crash modifier.
"Ah shi-"
You pass out.
When you wake up, you have been hauled behind some ruins. Krogan the Uncivilised is nowhere to be seen. The stars are out in full force, a few hours must have already passed since your collapse.
"Ah no! We might be too late!" says Silica.
"You are not," said Krogan as he turns a corner. There is a fist sized hole on his left ribs and a nasty blade is jammed to his right humerus.
"So, he finds this funny?" asks Silica.
"No Silica, the GM means the upper arm," says Sino.
"Then why didn't GM just say he got stabbed in the arm?"
You gather around the newly lit fire. Krogan tells you he began scouting while the rest of you slept. The tomb of the last orc warlord peers at you from behind your camp.
It is a massive block of black stone, as foreign to Golgotha as was Orkimedes' tower. It was just that, a giant cube, snuggled tightly into the side of the mountain with the only deformity being the double doors right in the middle.
"I entered it alone as it's quite clear you all needed the rest. I had hope to scout it at the very least, and perhaps slay the necromancer, Gork and Mork willing.
"It is dark, squishies. Pitch black. I borrowed your torch but it was insufficient. Something … attacked me, with what I could only assume is a gun. Yet, I heard no shot! But I could have sworn it was a gunshot, for it was neither arrow nor bolt that struck me. Elf, what do you know of this warlord?"
Argo rolls for Lore and rolls quite high. "Hold on, GM just sent me one of his PDFs." She puts on her reading glasses again.
"Oh yeah, this guy! I totally know him! He's pretty new I think, no longer than fifty years ago. There was an orc who was a student of the Assassins, those hired killers plotting atop their mountain fortress. Where most orcs prefer brute force, he used his kunning triks. He created a gun when shot was as quiet as the twang of a bow.
"With his skill and his special weapon, he created his own order of killers, the Deff Kommandos, and he himself its grandmaster. No one could track him down. He did die eventually, dead by an elven arrow. He died multiple times in fact. Elven intelligence assumes that the newest grandmaster is simply the new one. This particular warlord must have been the first."
"What do they call this sneaky git?" asks Sino.
Argo turned the dwarf and dramatically said,"They call him, Bigga Boss.
"Wait what? GM, this is a dumb name," she complaine
No, it's not. It's cool.
"I don't get it honestly."
"I sent you the games a long while ago!" said Sino.
"That's the thing, Sino. I don't like stealth games."
Sino made a face that was akin to someone running over her dog.
Anyway.
You turn to look back at the tomb. The black cube stares back at you, menacingly.
You prepare yourself for the upcoming battle. Dinner is consumed, armour is cleaned, blades are sharpened, and pink silk shirt patched. Krogan carries the mortar over his shoulder, already loaded, like a bazooka. He certainly has no issue in carrying it.
You have levelled up since your previous fight. Argo picks up Deflect Missile, in hopes to defend herself against this mysterious gun. Sino chooses Rifle Mastery, so as to being able to shoot her rifle at close range without penalty. The Black Swordsman chooses Extra Attack, simple but effective.
Silica rearranges her miracles and picks up Cast Light for reasons obvious plus Pina's Smite. "It's a surprise tool that will help us later," she tells the rest of the party.
The priestess says a prayer for Pina while the Black Swordsman says a dark prayer to his equally dark patrons. They would need it.
Once again, into the darkness.
"Why isn't my sword doing anything?"
Well you did specifically say your sword emits black fire.
"Well yeah, it's still fire."
Kirito, it's black fire. Black light is not conducive … to light.
"But I'm a being of darkness, that means none of the penalty applies right?"
Sigh.
"I got this," says the priestess. She recites a prayer and a ball of light emerges from her hand and floats above the rest of the party. It is much more powerful than any simple torch.
Of all the warlords' tombs, this is the only you've gone inside. Even the inside is made of strange black stone, the walls themselves are trying to absorb the light of Silica's orb. The atmosphere is intense, oppressive, as if the very darkness intrudes upon you.
You enter the hallway, the only one available with the swordsman leading the way. Not even a few minutes into the dungeon, you hear a click.
Kirito makes a reflex roll.
You don't make it. From beyond, missiles shoot out at you, slamming into your chest. Bolts from a hidden panel! You are hurt but alive and the priestess casts the first heal spell of the encounter.
"I'll lead the way. Us dwarves know how hostile architecture works," Sino says smugly. It is true, for the dwarf has the highest Dexterity amongst you, even more than Argo.
"Strength is a better attribute anyway," says the elf.
As Sino is the first to step through the door, there is an audible click.
A huge swinging axe emerges from the ceiling. It misses the dwarf by a foot and lodges itself into the wall. "See? I knew it was there."
The hallway continues and the dwarf is able to predict and initiate traps by her own volition. She uses a heavy rock to trigger pressure traps. Missiles whizz by harmlessly. Wall spikes and other hazards are jammed and broken with swift whacks with her axe. Poison gas traps are quickly blocked with wet cloth or ignited with a match. She racks up XP quickly.
You find yourself before a bridge with multiple swinging swinging axe blades. It is a narrow bridge and under it is a deep abyss. You hear something deep within yet none of you are all too curious to actually investigate.
The axe heads swing like pendulums, massive blades the size of the halfling.
"Why do you always compare my size when there's something big?" asks Silica.
The axe heads swing slowly, you could probably all make it. Silica designates her orb of light to Argo so she can see better when she goes first.
Argo runs past like nobody's business. Silica recalls the light and passes it to the Black Swordsman. He runs past with no issue. The process repeats itself with the dwarf, then the orc whose agility is unhindered despite the mortar slung over his back.
Unlike the rest of the party, Silica does not run past, she takes careful steps and stands between the space between the swinging axe heads. The massive bronze implements of death swoosh by, as if she were standing right next to heavy traffic.
You go up to the second floor via a set of stairs.
Everyone roll for a save with heavy disadvantage.
There is just the swiftest of sharp short cracks that rattle through the air accompanying a click. The swordsman takes a gunshot to his back, his bright pink jacket does nothing against it.
"It's Bigga Boss! The sneak devil is here!" says Krogan.
You ready yourselves for battle.
Yet battle does not come. You wait a little longer and still nothing. "Keep your eyes and ears out," says the orc.
The priestess casts a quick heal and you move deeper into the tomb.
There is another bridge above another dark abyss, now with five swinging axe heads. Argo moves first. She passes the first three axe heads with ease and would have taken the bolt had she not had Deflect Missile. She almost loses balance but composes herself and passes through.
The same process is repeated in the same order. The swordsman knocks the bolt out of the air, Sino simply ducks under it, Krogan takes it like a champ and Silica switches her shield to the other side. You all make it through safely and spy another set of stairs.
You feel eyes on you …
"Get ready!" Sino yells.
Everyone make a roll but there is no disadvantage.
The quiet gunshot misses all of you and in return the dwarf unloads both pistols in a direction. She hits absolutely nothing.
You go through the hopefully last trap room.
It is a bare hallway with absolutely nothing in it and at the end is a door.
"I'd like to roll for traps," says Sino.
You roll high. You don't seem to see anything.
"Well I hate you too, GM."
"I've got a bad feeling about this," says the Black Swordsman.
You walk ten steps, stop, then another ten steps, and stop. You walk fifteen steps, then stop.
You realise this is gonna take forever, right?
"Look, it's better to be safe than sorry!" says Silica.
"I tire of this!" says Krogan, moving ahead of you. "Come out, kommando! Face me!"
"What is this idiot doing calling out for a duel? You can't just challenge randos to a duel! Who does that?" the Black Swordsman says with exasperation.
Everyone at the table stares at Kirito.
"What?" he asks, utterly confused.
"As long as we can see through the dark, we'll be fine! Have faith, comrades!" says the priestess.
The priestess' orb of light goes out.
Sino waves the worry away. "That's why we have backup lighting. I reach for my tor-"
You didn't bring a torch.
"Yes, I did! … Did I?"
You didn't.
"I didn't."
"Fine, I bring out my - ah crap," says Argo.
"Let me see here uh … yeah I don't have any either," Silica says sheepishly.
"My sword is on fire, GM."
Black fire does nothing Kirito how many times have I told you this.
None of you have brought torches. Not Argo, not Silica, not Sino and not you. I triple checked each of your character sheets. I knew you were gonna make a mistake eventually.
"That's mean!" says Silica.
No, that's you not being careful.
You bring up your hand in front of you and cannot see it, much less each other. Matches do nothing against this magical darkness. The only constant is Krogan's red eyes, and even they are a flicker in this room.
Now roll for initiative.
Bigga Boss out-initiatives all of you.
Another crack and the elf finds she has a bullet wound in her side. Sino fires her pistols in two different directions, and not even the muzzle flash of light from her guns does anything to locate the enemy. Silica swings her flail at thin air.
Krogan screams in rage and you can hear the swinging of his adamantium blade. Now, Kirito what do you do?
"Wait, I have torches!" says the swordsman.
No, you don't.
"Yes, I do! See?"
I'm looking at your character sheet now and it says nothing about any in your inventory. Your inventory section is filled with like thirty skulls. And you named them individually? And I thought I've seen some psycho players before.
"Flip the page! I wrote on the other side because I was running out of my space."
Twelve torches? Where did you get twelve torches? We did shopping before the session started and I don't recall you buying these. Where did you get these?
"Remember in the first session where we went down the first dungeon and accidentally saved the Elusive One? We took all the torches on the way there, like a dozen of them! And you said there were magic torches too."
Silica speaks up, "Yeah, I remember! We used my sacks!"
I …
Shino takes a long swig from her soda. "I can't believe Kirito is going to save us from this boss fight thanks to his obsessive looting."
"Kii-bou is smarter than he looks, huh?" says Argo.
"Damn right I am. Wait, what does that mean?"
Hrrrghhhhhh.
The Black Swordsman takes the torches out from his pack and lights them all on fire. He throws them in every direction and the hallway, previously bare and dark, is now illuminated with light. You can see what's in front of you.
You can see Bigga Boss.
The undead grandmaster of the Deff Komando is hunched over in a corner, pistol in hand. On the end of the gun is a stocky box, no doubt the mysterious gadget that quiets his shots. He is dressed in purple leathers and a long purple bandana completes his appearance.
All of you fall upon him. Being an orc warlord, he is no slouch in melee and he fights with blade and pistol with the ferocity of a true orc. His cruel dagger and pistol shots do a number on you despite being one versus five.
He does not scream, he does not shout, he fights in complete silence as flail, blades, bullets and fists tear him apart. No Waagh escapes his mouth. You find the orc himself extremely unnerving.
The swordsman's black blades and Krogan's adamantium sword burry in its stomach and severs its spine. The orc now lies dead - once again.
The darkness dissipates by a considerable amount. It is still dark, but it is not as dark as it was before, as the magic that shrouds this tomb disappears with Bigga Boss' death. Krogan stands straight and salutes. You find this respect puzzling.
You loot his corpse; the gun taken by Sino, the bandana by the swordsman, and you move on.
The next room is far more elaborate with multiple displays and cases, many of them are broken and missing, but some still linger. It must have been a gallery or a treasure room of sorts. Fortunately there are crystals that shine brightly and you've no need for a torch.
The swordsman nods. "I say we take all these crystals and sell them back in town for a good price. Then-"
Oh hey look, treasure!
"Treasure?!"
The most notable display is the pedestal in the middle of the room. A plaque written under in Orcish. With both Argo's and Krogan's efforts it is translated: Staff of the Lich Lord
It is missing.
"Uh oh," everyone says.
"Maybe we can find some new gear to help us," says Sino.
Luckily for you there are still some artefacts left. Four in fact.
On one display are a pair of sandals with wings attached to them.
The Black Swordsman replaces his worn leather boots with them. They are so light that the swordsman throws them into the air and it descends as slowly as a feather would. Already the swordsman sees visions of radically awesome plunging attacks he can pull off with them.
"Black leathers, spikey pauldrons, a pink jacket, a horned helmet and sandals? Kirito, you're a walking fashion disaster. You can't even call yourself the black swordsman anymore," says Argo.
"Stats over fashion, elf. I pull it off!" he says more to convince himself than he does the others.
On the wall there is a steel shield with inlaid gold engravings on it in which the priestess takes peculiar interest.
You touch the face of the shield and you can feel it touching back. You give it a light knock and you can feel the force reflecting back to you. You slap it and an invisible force slaps you back.
You are about to hit it with your flail when the rest of the party dissuades you from hurting yourself. In short, the shield reflects 20% of the damage taken up to 60 damage.
"I can use this to protect my friends!" says Silica. The party nods at this, touched at the kindness of her heart.
"Imagine the sheer damage I can inflict upon my enemies, he he he!" the priestess giggles evilly. The rest of the party takes a step away from her.
"What do I get?" asks Sino.
You reached for a olive drab green metal box on a nearby shelf. The design of it is alien but the contents even more so. It is ammunition! Brass, conical, elongated. A far cry from the iron balls you've been carrying around. It pairs nicely with the quiet gun from Bigga Boss and could likely fit your own rifle.
"But what caliber is it?"
Uh, I don't know. Big?
"No, I mean, is it 5.56 x 45 mm or is it 7.62 x 51 mm?"
It's uh, a rifle round?
"Those are rifle rounds!"
Look Shino, I'm not a gun nut so it can be whatever caliber you want.
"You realise none of this can fit into my gun right?"
Listen, do you want the extra damage and range or not? It does 50% more damage, but you only have thirty rounds.
"But …"
You know what? You have fifteen rounds.
"Fiiine. Thanks, GM."
"Maybe it's 75mm?" suggest the swordsman.
Shino turns to Kirito and proceeds to give him a lecture on rifle calibers. This was a mistake, he finds out.
Argo waits in her chair patiently for her treasure.
The biggest artefact in the gallery is a massive red gauntlet, so big it would cover one's entire forearm. Its fingers are twice as thick and it is made of unknown material. Unlike everything else in the gallery, it's the opposite of ancient. Almost … futuristic.
You feel as if you shouldn't take it.
"You don't just dangle a big fancy piece of gear and expect me to not take it! Don't mind if I do!"
You place it over your right hand, and as expected, it covers your entire forearm. Here are its stats.
"Kick ass!"
Now roll for Willpower.
"Wha-"
You roll a 1.
The sky is red with fire. Steel beasts fly over at hyper speed.
An orc stands before you, wielding a massive gun with multiple barrels. You punch his head in, spraying blood. They are other warriors nearby, clad in shining black armour, shooting their guns multiple times at the orcs without reloading. On their massive pauldrons is the symbol of a stylised lily.
The battlefield is deafening. There are explosions everywhere.
One of the red-plated warriors calls you. His helmet is like a sallet with shining red eyes under it. You come to realise the warrior is a woman and she calls you Sister Superior. She holds a banner in her fist, it is an image of a woman with wings and a flaming sword.
She points to another orc, easily twice the size of every other orc you've fought so far, even bigger than Krogan. The massive orc spits bullets from his left hand and wields massive claws in the other.
You and your sister charge the warlord, your massive fist crackling with power. Supporting fire explodes from behind you as you cry, "For the Em-"
The visions of the grim dark future ceases as you return to reality, soaking with sweat.
"Well, that was a trip!" says Argo.
You take a minus 1 to Willpower for the rest of the session.
The elf flexes her encased hand. Its fingers are twice as thick and long than her own but the extra weight is somehow comforting. "An acceptable trade off. Man, I look so cool!" she says.
"Yeah but my new sandals go really well with my pink jacket over black leathers," says the swordsman, convincing no one.
Krogan looks on all of you approvingly. "Let's go. That necromancer isn't going to die by himself."
If anyone can't remember when Kirito got the torches, it was chapter 3.
I was gonna do a reference to the big cool space man but I decided the cool space nuns is a bit more fitting. Can't even find any art of any of them with power fists! Now that's disappointing right there.
Ah, you thought this was the last chapter! Wrong. Tune in to Halloween for the final chapter for 2020!