A/N: The battle of the 18th floor has begun!
This was ridiculously hard to write, so I really hope you like it! Most of my fights are over pretty quick, so having an entire chapter dedicated to what turned out to be a mini-war was nerve wracking.
I don't want to take up too much of your time, so lets get into it!
I appreciate all your comments and reviews, and I encourage anybody who wants to, to please leave a comment letting me know what you think or to ask any questions you may have!
WARNING: Every chapter before this has been in Third Person Limited. Told from the perspective and thoughts of a single character per segment. This chapter is entirely Third Person Omniscient. I've tried to keep it consistent but you will see thoughts from multiple characters in each segment.
Hearthfire
Chapter 22
18th Floor
Torrhen sprinted through the camp, practically diving into his tent and seizing his pack. Outside he could hear the sounds of people screaming, monsters howling, and combat in the distance. Two irregular Floor Bosses had appeared on the 18th floor, a place that was supposed to be a safe haven for adventurers and monsters alike. To make matters worse, there were countless other monsters in the forest with more making their way up from the 19th floor. The worst was a large, black, skeletal lizard. It was half the size of the Monster Rexes, wicked fast and, according to the only survivor of its last appearance, had been enough to wipe out an entire Familia of Level 3 and 4 adventurers.
"What are you doing?" Ryuu asked, barreling into the tent behind him.
"I need armor." Torrhen replied, pulling out his gear. "Neither of those bosses is normal. It is highly possible that the lizard monster is far stronger than the one your Familia encountered. Did you notice anything different?" While modesty was not a concern at the present moment, he was rather glad that his armor did not require him to change out of the tunic and breeches he had been wearing before the chaos had begun.
Ryuu thought for a moment. "From a distance it looks larger than the one we fought and…" she hesitated, "its eyes were different. The one we encountered had glowing red eyes. This one's eyes are white."
Torrhen paused. "Udaeus is supposed to have red eyes and the crystals at its' joints are supposed to be red but on the one out there, they're all white. The irregular Goliath's skin is completely black and its' hair has turned white, just like the eyes of Udaeus and the lizard. The color change is a good enough indication that this one is likely stronger than the one you faced." That just meant grabbing his armor was a good idea. There was no telling how strong that thing could be.
The Dragonborn began frantically putting on his armor. Unlike the Travel Armor he had been wearing since he had arrived in Genkai, this was his Battle Armor. The armor he wore when he faced off against his most dangerous foes. Alduin, Miraak, and Harkon. It was the armor he had worn when leading the armies of the Empire to victory against the Aldemeri Dominion.
Made of carved dragon bones and coated in an alloy of quicksilver and ebony, it almost glowed with a dark silvery sheen. The cuirass was attached to a dark dragon scale gambeson that covered his upper body, with sleeves going down to his wrists and two tassets going below his waist to protect his thighs. The rerebraces on his upper arms were made of interlocking plates as were the vambraces, leading down to the gauntlets.
His greaves and boots were much the same, completely covering his lower legs in interlocking armor plates. The neck was lined with wolf fur, while the helmet was carved in the shape of a roaring dragon. Like all helmets and armor of Nordic design, it did not have any true faceplate. The snarling jaws of the dragon protected Torrhen's cheeks and forehead but left his face exposed to allow maximum visibility.
Every inch of the armor was covered in carved designs. Words in Dovahzul and Nordic imagery were carved over every inch with other designs and symbols interwoven across them. What made the armor truly impressive were the enchantments. Every inch of the coated dragon bone was covered in powerful magics. The gloves in particular were special as they were not enchanted. The metal gauntlets that covered the back of Torrhen's hands were, but the gloves were not. Instead, they had special, extremely thin silver rings sewn into them at the middle of the lowest joint on each finger, save the thumbs. Each ring, deliberately made thin so as not to interfere with Torrhen's grip, had been heavily enchanted before being sewn into the glove meaning that as a pair, they granted Torrhen 16 enchantments on his hands alone.
As he belted his sword back on, with his helmet sitting on a table beside him and his round shield strapped to his back, the flap of the tent was thrown open, revealing a panting Hermes. "Torrhen!" He shouted. "Something weird is going on!"
"I can see that!" Torrhen growled, wondering if the god had anything to do with it.
"No," he shook his head. "You don't understand. This is not normal!"
"Calm down and explain!" Torrhen shouted at the god.
"There was an… incident… earlier." Hermes hesitated, not wanting to piss off the already rushed Dragonborn. "My cloak. The one that conceals my aura, came off." He gestured to the cape around his neck.
"Then this is your doing?!" Torrhen demanded.
"It shouldn't be!" Hermes countered. "I didn't mean for it to happen and the amount of aura let out was miniscule! I'm telling you the Dungeon shouldn't even have reacted. That it did, and so wildly, is an indicator that something is wrong! Neither of those Rexes, nor that Juggernaut should have spawned!"
"Juggernaut?" Ryuu cut in.
Hermes nodded. "The lizard monster. I heard about them from Uranus. It's the Dungeon's defense mechanism for when it takes too much damage. The problem is, the Dungeon hasn't been damaged at all! Even with all that, I didn't let out enough Aura for the Dungeon to even notice. Its reaction is way above normal."
"Well, we don't exactly have the time to worry about that now!" Torrhen stated. "We have to stop those things."
"You're not listening!" Hermes said. "You're Dragonborn!"
"I'm very aware of my own nature, Hermes!"
"That makes you a demigod! If you let out any of your divinity during the fighting, you could make things worse!"
Ryuu's eyes widened as her mind processed what the Hermes had said. Torrhen was a demigod?! She remembered what he had told her that morning. About how the circumstances of his birth were complicated. How he had not met his father until he was an adult. Could that be because his father was a god?!
Torrhen paused as he considered Hermes' words. "Fair point," he sighed. "I only have one skill that releases any of my divine energy. It's my trump card, but if I don't use it, there should be no problems."
"Good," Hermes sighed in relief.
"While I am grateful for the warning, this does not let you off the hook for starting all this." Torrhen said.
"I know," the god nodded. "I did not want or mean for any of this to happen, and I swear I will take full responsibility once its over." He meant it too. While he had wanted to test young Bell, the grandson of Zeus, he never meant for anything this catastrophic to occur.
"I'll hold you to that," Torrhen got in the gods face. "If you don't, I'll punish you myself. Understand me?"
Hermes gulped and nodded, intimidated by the angry demigod but not intending to argue.
"Let's go, Ryuu!" Torrhen called to her, grabbing his helmet and leaving the tent. As they moved through the camp he said, "I will explain later, but I would appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut about what you just learned."
The blonde elf nodded. "I don't think anybody would believe me, even if I told them."
"You'd be surprised." Torrhen muttered.
The two quickly emerged from the camp, looking out on the forest that made up the 18th floor. In the distance, they could see Goliath and Udaeus rampaging while the Loki Familia and adventurers from Rivira gathered. Advance teams from both groups, as well as the random adventurers who had been camping in the forest were on the ground, fighting off the smaller monsters and desperately trying to avoid the giant Floor Bosses. Throughout the chaos, the Juggernaut was zooming and zipping around the forest, taking out adventurers left and right.
"Here's the plan." Torrhen said, catching Ryuu's attention. "I'm going to draw that thing over there," he pointed to an empty stretch of woodland some distance from the fighting. "I can't fight it and deal with the other monsters. I need you to keep them off of me."
"But!"
"I know you want to avenge your Familia," Torrhen cut her off, "but that thing is far more powerful than the one you faced. I'm not saying you can't help. If you get a shot, take it, but I need you to focus on keeping the other monsters off of me while I deal with it."
Ryuu nodded, satisfied that at least she could help. She knew the man was right. She had barely been able to do anything against the one that had destroyed her family, and this one was both larger and likely stronger.
"Let's go." Torrhen said, putting on his helmet and leaping off the cliff into the forest below.
Loki Familia Rally Point
"Listen up!" Finn, the Captain of the Loki Familia shouted from his position. All around were the gathering members of the Loki and Hephaestus Familias who had been in camp. Beside him stood Riveria and Gareth with Tsubaki and the other executives nearby, save for Ais and Bete who were already on the ground trying to keep Udaeus contained.
The Monster Rex itself had buried its lower half in the ground, allowing it to reach out and send spikes of bone and earth through the forest floor, just like it did in its own boss room. All around were a myriad of monsters from the 19th floor and, as with the normal Udaeus, it had summoned or spawned a number of Spartoi, a type of skeletal warrior from the 37th floor, to serve as a distraction.
"We have a plan!" Finn continued. "We're splitting our forces! The adventurers from Rivira will deal with Goliath while we handle Udaeus. All members below Level 4 will make their way towards Rivira to assist them! Everyone else, including the Second String and the Executives will do our best to hold off or defeat Udaeus."
"Lefiya!" He called to the elf girl. She had proven herself time and again on the expedition and Finn believed she was ready for the assignment he had for her. "As the only Second String under Level 4, I'm putting you in charge of the detachment headed for Rivira! All those joining the detachment will follow her direction! As for the rest of us, leave Udaeus to the Level Sixes! Riveria, I want you and your mages up on that ridge," he pointed to an outcropping not far from the boss. "Once your spells are ready, send up a warning and let them fly! Ais, Gareth, and I will handle Udaeus directly. Everyone else is to keep the Spartoi and other monsters off us!"
"Healers! I want every potion we have left prepped and ready. Set up an aid station here and send runners into the forest to collect the wounded. Lefiya! The healers in your group are to do the same near Rivira." The slightly overwhelmed elf nodded.
Lefiya had not been expecting to be given command of a detachment. She'd never been in charge of a party, let alone what amounted to over half their expedition forces! Still, after the events of the 58th and 59th floors, she was feeling far more confident than she ever had before.
"Let's move, people!" Finn shouted, jumping off his platform and racing for the forest, headed directly at the massive Udaeus.
"Come on!" Lefiya called over the heads of the crowd. "You heard the Captain! We make for Rivira!" She too rushed off, headed in the direction of the town with a massive contingent of Level 2 and 3 adventurers behind her.
Rivira
"Let's go people! Up and at 'em! We're under attack!" Bors shouted as he moved through the town.
"Bors!" Asfi called to him as she flew down.
"Andromeda! What the hell is going on?!"
"We have an irregular Goliath headed right for the town and the passage to the 17th floor is blocked. The Loki Familia is sending a detachment to help, but we need every adventurer in town up and fighting."
"What are the rest of the Loki Familia doing?!"
"They're going to try and handle the irregular Udaeus while another squad handles that huge lizard thing."
Bors growled. Never, in all his years, had he even heard of something like this happening! "Alright, boys and girls," He shouted through the town. "Our way out is blocked! Grab every weapon in town and get out into the forest! If we want to survive, we have to take those things out! Anybody who turns coward now, will never be welcomed in Rivira again!"
"The Loki Familia is sending us reinforcements while they deal with Udaeus! Goliath is our priority!" Asfi shouted as well.
"Ms. Asfi!" Bell Cranel shouted as he led his group towards the blue-haired girl. "Mr. Torrhen sent us to join you."
"Good!" She replied. "Do you have any potions or medical supplies? I know Torrhen packed some for the trip down here, just in case you were injured."
"We do," Mikoto answered. "Our packs are full of potions and other relief supplies. We just need a place to put them."
"Over there!" Asfi directed them to where the healers and shopkeepers were setting up an aid/armory station. "Leave the potions and then get into the forest! We need people on the ground dealing with monsters and distracting Goliath. The mages are going to gather up on a ridge to try and wipe it out with one spell. You and the other physical combat adventurers need to buy us as much time as you can."
"Done!" Bell nodded. "Let's go!" He and his team rushed towards the aid station.
Juggernaut Fight
"Shit!" Torrhen cursed as he ducked under one of the Juggernaut's massive claws. "This thing is faster than Harkon!" It had been very easy to get the massive creature's attention. As they had neared it, the Juggernaut had seemingly locked in on him and wouldn't let up. All Torrhen had to do then was lead it on a wild chase through the woods, trying to get it as far away from the other adventurers as possible.
He would occasionally catch glimpses of Ryuu through the trees as she desperately tried to keep up. Torrhen continued to lead the Juggernaut on a merry chase until he came to the far end of a large clearing. Skidding to a halt and whirling around he Shouted.
"WULD NAH KEST"
Faster than even the Juggernaut could react, Torrhen flew across the clearing, propelled by his Shout. With a grunt of effort, he rammed his sword into monster's side. The Juggernaut screamed and thrashed with pain as sparks of lighting and fire danced across the blade. Withdrawing his sword, Torrhen hacked at one of the thrashing limbs, severing it. The Juggernaut spun, its massive tail whipping through the air.
"Gah!" Torrhen caught the blow on his shield, but the force was enough to send him flying backwards. Regaining his footing, Torrhen watched in horror as the Juggernaut swiftly regenerated the limb he had severed. "Oh, that's just cheating." He murmured under his breath.
He caught a glimpse of Ryuu through the trees easily fighting off a group of Lizardmen. She was chanting! "Look for an opening!" He called to her. Charging the Juggernaut again, Torrhen lamented the fact that he could not use Dragon Aspect. The speed boost it provided him might have been enough to match the speed of the Juggernaut. As it stood, Torrhen was stronger than the beast, but it was far faster.
Releasing his shield, which remained held to his arm by a strap, Torrhen unleased a massive Thunderbolt. The Expert Destruction spell flew by, just missing the Juggernaut as it drew in close. Using the opportunity, Torrhen released the Unbound Flames spell, searing the monster's flesh as he dodged past it.
From behind, one of its legs struck Torrhen, flinging him away. Crashing into a tree, Torrhen was momentarily dazed. Looking up, he saw the Juggernaut charging!
"FUS RO DAH"
Instinct helped him throw the Unrelenting Force shout, which crashed into the Juggernaut. The creature screamed, its ringing roar echoing through the forest as it was sent flying, crashing into a tree. At that moment, Ryuu saw her chance and burst into the clearing.
"Luminous Wind!"
"YOL TOOR SHUL"
The emerald stardust of the spell mixed with the blazing inferno of the Fire Breath Shout impacted the creature, causing it to cry out once more. Ryuu backed away quickly, knowing that it was not enough to kill the beast. Sure enough, when the light and smoke cleared, the Juggernaut was already regenerating. It was badly burned and its strange monster blood was leaking from several cuts, but the wounds were rapidly receding.
"We need help!" Ryuu shouted to Torrhen as she dove back into the forest, trying to make sure he kept the Juggernaut's attention while she focused on the other monsters. That monster was far faster than the one the Astrea Familia had encountered, and Ryuu was certain that it would kill her in an instant if it focused on her.
Torrhen couldn't deny that she was right. Without Dragon Aspect, that thing was too fast and regenerated too quickly for him to fight properly. The problem was none of the others were strong enough to help him. Not only did they have their own battles to worry about, but the only reason Ryuu hadn't been killed immediately was because Torrhen had been keeping the Juggernaut focused on him. It would be the same for the others. Not even Finn or Gareth was strong or fast enough to fight this thing with him. Torrhen needed someone of a similar power to himself… That was it!
"I really hope this works," he muttered to himself. With the Juggernaut still regenerating, Torrhen Shouted once more.
"HUN KAAL ZOOR"
An ethereal portal bloomed before him as the power of the shout left his lungs. The Juggernaut screamed in rage as three ghostly figures emerged. The leader was an older man, with long braided hair, a beard, and Nordic war paint just under one eye. He was dressed in the wolven armor of the Companions and carrying a massive Skyforge steel Warhammer.
The second figure was a woman, appearing in the prime of life rather than the aged appearance she had worn when she died. The spirits of Sovngarde could choose to look however they wished, most simply chose to keep the appearance they died with. Dressed in a Nordic style armor her ghostly hair, once a dirty blonde, was done up in a series of braids. In her hands rested a huge Stalhrim greatsword.
The final figure, also appearing as a young woman, was dressed differently to the others. She wore the robes of an Archmage, accentuated with pieces of steel plate and an armored hood covering her once brown hair. In one hand, she carried a slim ebony blade while the other was alight with ghostly flame.
Kodlak Whitemane who, in life, had been the closest thing Torrhen had to a positive father figure now stood in the clearing beside Lucia and Sofie. Torrhen's adopted daughters. Kodlak grinned at the sight of the angry Juggernaut.
"Well met, Shield-Brother!" He shouted, dodging a strike from the beast. "You called to Sovngarde and even in this strange world, Shor has seen fit to answer that call!"
"You've gotten yourself into quite the mess, Father." Sofie said, releasing a blast of flame that seared the monster's side.
"Ah shut up, sister!" Lucia let out a feral grin. "It's good to see you, Papa. Even better to be fighting at your side once more!" She charged forward, her icy blade scoring a long gash along the Juggernaut's side.
"With Torrhen having held both posts, together we four represent three generations of Harbingers and two Archmages," Kodlak commented. "Not even this strange beast could ever stand against such a force. Already I can hear the song of this battle being written in the halls of Sovngarde."
"Then we must not disappoint the composers!" Sofie stood beside her father, sword at her side and hands alight with ghostly flame. She glanced at him, a cheeky smile on her face. "Shall we?"
Torrhen stared at his children and surrogate father, smiling. Having no control over who Shor sent to answer his call, he truly had not thought to see them when he had used the Shout. He raised his blade, eager to battle a strong foe with his family at his side once more.
"For victory or Sovngarde!" He charged.
Goliath Fight
Mord Latro could not believe how badly this day had gone. First, he'd seen that blasted rookie in town, where he had no right to be! Then, when he tried to teach the kid a lesson, he'd been beaten! The Loki Familia had then shown up and Bors had forced him to pay the brat! Now, the whole damn 18th floor was under siege and he was about to be killed by a Bugbear!
Fortunately or not for Mord, Bell Cranel had chosen that moment to put aside his dislike for the man that had tried to kill him and decapitated the Bugbear before it had a chance to gut the brute. Not even sparing Mord a glance, the boy raced off to deal with yet another monster.
Bell and his team had been on the ground dealing with monsters from the moment they had dropped off their potions with the healers. They and the dozens of other adventurers had streamed into the forest, picking off monsters where they could and, if the opportunity arose, taking shots at the Goliath. Their goal was to keep the massive monster focused on the ground so as to buy time for the mages to cast their spells. To that end, anybody who was near the giant's feet would hack and slash at its ankles and run for their lives if it tried to perform a stomp attack. With Goliath not having reachable eyes or vulnerable areas, the archers in the trees focused on taking out the monsters on the ground, giving the melee fighters the opportunity to attack the Floor Boss.
Bell's team had split into two units more out of muscle memory than anything else. Bell, Welf, and Lili were used to working together and had naturally fallen into the formations they had been using in the Dungeon. Likewise, Mikoto, Ouka, and Chigusa had fallen into their own formations are were fighting nearby. The two groups would occasionally join together in the chaos of the battle, but in an ever changing warzone, it was a miracle their teams had managed to stay together at all.
Bell jumped and spun, his knives flashing out and skewering a Battle Boar before he came down to rest back to back with Welf. Lili soon joined them, taking potshots at monsters with her crossbow.
"This is insane!" Welf shouted over the confusion.
"We noticed!" Lili shouted back.
"On your left!" Bell's voice cut across them. Lili spun, a bolt from her crossbow embedding itself in the eye of a Ligerfang.
Above them, Goliath roared and brought his fist down on the forest. Pained and fearful screams were heard over the crashing 'boom' as the giant fist made contact. As the arm rose into the air, Bell spotted two familiar figures holding on for dear life. Mikoto and Ouka had taken the opportunity to attack the colossal monster's arms when its fist made contact but had not gotten their weapons out in time.
As Goliath rose, the two members of the Takemikazuchi Familia clung desperately to the handles of their weapons, the blades still stuck in the monster's skin. Below them, Chigusa was frantically trying to follow their path from the ground. The Floor Boss roared and raised a foot. Before Bell or his team could react, the giant appendage slammed into the ground, sending them flying.
As Mikoto and Ouka were knocked loose, Bell was thrown into the air. Spying an opportunity, he tried to angle his body so as to come down onto the giant. As he fell, Bell reached out with his daggers and stabbed them into Goliath's back. The giant roared as Bell descended leaving bloody furrows down its right leg.
"Get out of there!" Asfi's voice shouted from above. She was using her flying boots to bombard the Goliath with explosive potions, distracting it. "Grab any wounded you can and get them to the aid station! Our reinforcements have arrived!" Bell nodded and raced off, his team not far behind him.
At the aid station, the Loki Familia detachment led by Lefiya were beginning to supplement the flagging strength of the healers from Rivira.
"Save the stronger potions for the worst wounded!" Lefiya shouted. "We need more people on triage! Melee fighters, get into the forest to relieve the teams from Rivira! Be careful and watch out for each other. Mages, follow me! We're going to join the bombardment team."
The members of the Loki Familia scrambled to obey their commander's orders as Lefiya led her team to join the mages on a high ridge overlooking the battle. Standing before them was a wall of men carrying huge shields. Their presence was a good thing as, not long after Lefiya and her mages joined the line and began their chants, Goliath's mouth opened and it unleashed some kind of blast attack directly at the gathering of mages.
The blast knocked several of the shield-bearers away, including Bors who had taken charge of their brigade. However, the presence of the shield wall had protected the mages as intended, allowing them to continue chanting unimpeded.
Back on the ground, Bell and Ouka's teams had reunited.
"Catch!" Welf shouted, throwing the enchanted sword he'd shown Tsubaki the night before to Ouka. "One for you too!" He handed a slimmer fire enchanted blade to Mikoto. "They're enchanted but I doubt the power will last long! If it stops working, snag a magic stone from the forest floor and break it on the blade. That should recharge them!" They were the only enchanted weapons he had in his pack, but it was worth it to arm his comrades whose weapons were still stuck in Goliath's massive arm.
"Thanks!" Ouka shouted as his team formed up with Bell's.
"Head's up!" Asfi's voice rang over their heads. "The mages are about to open fire!"
Sure enough, only a moment later a series of shouted attack names were heard carrying over the forest as multiple spells crashed into Goliath's face. The monster roared in agony and even started to stumble! Though, it regained its footing quickly as the smoke cleared. Where had once been a huge, gaunt face was now a cracked and smoking skull. A cheer rose up from the surrounding adventurers that soon turned to shouts of disbelief and horror as the skin began to regenerate.
Goliath grinned and roared, raising both arms up above its head before bringing them down on the trees below. A massive shockwave picked up, throwing dozens of adventurers into the air including Bell and his friends. Ouka slammed heavily into a tree while Chigusa and Welf were sent tumbling, crashing into each other and the ground as they landed. Lili, hiding behind a fallen stump, was not thrown but had been showered with debris. Bell landed in the branches of a nearby tree while Mikoto had managed to avoid the worst of it by ducking behind a trunk.
On the mage's ridge, the assembled group stared in horror as the massive monster recovered and delivered its devastating attack. They could not believe their eyes! All those spells and all that damage and it didn't do a damn thing! Just as many were about to give into despair, something caught their attention.
In the last week, Lefiya of the Loki Familia had already experienced two hopeless situations and come out on top. She was determined to make it three for three. Pulling out a special potion, she pulled the cork out with her teeth and downed it. During their testing in the Dungeon, Lefiya and Riveria had discovered that one did not need to know Tamrielic spells to be boosted by the Fortify Destruction or Restoration potions. Destruction potions would amplify any attack spell while Restoration ones would amplify healing and shields, regardless of whether or not they were Tamrielic.
Throwing the empty Fortify Destruction vial away, Lefiya set her shoulders and began another, longer chant. If that bombardment hadn't worked, then they needed stronger spells! The other mages around her, seeing her determination, raised their staffs and wands. Their chants joined hers, the magic around them beginning to build once more.
Udaeus Fight
As Lefiya and her team arrived at the Rivira rally point and Torrhen entered the clearing with the Juggernaut, the executives of the Loki Familia were clashing with Udaeus. Having faced the monster before, they had a basic plan in place that they all knew. Mages would hang back and chant while the melee teams would split into two groups. One would focus on the Spartoi and, in this case, the other monsters. The other team would focus on Udaeus itself.
The second team would focus on breaking Udaeus' skeletal limbs to keep it contained and, once the mages had fired their spells, they would rush back in to finish off whatever parts of the boss had survived. At first, this plan seemed to be working.
In the forest Bete, Tsubaki, and the twins were leading the Second Strings, a rank of the Loki Familia denoting the members just below the executives, against the Spartoi and other monsters. On the nearby ridge, Riveria had erected her shield while she and the other mages prepared chants. Finn, Ais, and Gareth were clashing with Udaeus itself.
Gareth was armorless but had been given a large shield by Tsubaki that allowed him to continue his role as the front line tank. While Ais and Finn dashed around him, looking for an opening and dealing minor strikes or damage to the boss, Gareth kept its attention. The skeletal creature's massive sword swung through the air, causing everyone but Gareth to scramble.
"Gah!" Gareth held, catching part of the blow on his shield, trying to mitigate or eliminate the shockwave that came from Udaeus swinging its sword. As the wave passed, Finn and Ais rushed back in, looking for an opportunity. They had been at it for quite some time, following the same pattern, when Ais finally found an opening.
Using her wind spell, she repeated a move she'd used the last time she faced off against Udaeus. Not long before meeting Torrhen and Bell properly, Ais had been frustrated by her lack of progress as a Level 5 so, with Riveria as a chaperone, she faced off against the regular Udaeus alone. It had been a harrowing fight but she had won and earned her level up! Now she tried a move against this irregular monster that had worked on the original.
Flying high into the air, she came down on Udaeus' left shoulder joint. Her sword, Desperate, cracked the bone and shattered the joint. The massive arm came loose and crashed to the forest floor leading to cheers coming from her comrades and a causing a small smile to appear on Ais' face when she came to a landing on the ground. Their joy was not to last, however, as Udaeus' ground spikes rose up and surrounded the severed limb, dragging it into the earth. Only a few seconds later, a new arm reemerged from the destroyed joint.
"What?!"
"That's bullshit!"
"You have got to be kidding me!"
Cries of dismay and anger rose up from the members of the Loki Familia as Udaeus swung its sword again. Capitalizing on the distraction caused by its' regenerating limb, Udaeus slammed the colossal sword into the ground. Monsters and adventurers alike were sent flying, including the amazon twins. Tione was lucky enough to catch herself on a tree, but Tiona bounced off the ground, crashing into a flying Spartoi. The monster's skeletal claws raked across her side, causing the girl to cry out in pain before she was able to regain her footing and kill the monster.
"Get to the healers!" Tiona's sister called to her from her vantage point in the tree.
"I can still fight!" She shouted back, clenching her side in pain.
"No you can't Dopeazon!" Bete shouted angrily from nearby. "Go get a potion and then get your ass back here!"
Reluctantly, Tiona nodded and made her way to the healers.
Goliath Fight
The aftermath of Goliath's gigantic smash attack left the majority of the ground force dazed or incapacitated. Including the few members of his own team that were still standing, Bell could only see perhaps ten or fifteen other adventurers still moving. Only two of Bell's group were still up and able to fight. Ouka had taken a hard blow when crashing into a tree and was unconscious. Welf had broken his arm during his crashing tumble across the ground but was able to walk. Chigusa and Lili, the least injured of their downed members, had helped Welf pick up Ouka and dragged him off towards the aid station.
They might have been the lucky ones. Although most of the monsters in the nearby area had been killed by the massive shockwave, that just meant they had to focus all their efforts on Goliath. Asfi was still up and flying, throwing everything she had at the boss but they needed something else. A distraction that would keep Goliath occupied long enough for the dazed fighters to get up or reinforcements to come from the aid station. Thinking wildly, Bell came to a sudden realization.
"I have an idea!" He shouted to Mikoto, running towards the giant.
"What kind of idea?" She called back, chasing after him.
"A stupid one! Give me a boost!"
As they rounded the back of the hulking figure, Bell jumped. Seeing his intention, Mikoto caught him on her shoulders and jumped as well. The extra boost game him the height he needed to get up and stab his daggers into Goliath's calf. Bracing himself on the massive leg, Bell used the knives like climbing hooks, stabbing them into the skin sideways to keep the blades from sliding down.
Goliath roared in pain and agony as Bell scrambled up its leg, over its butt, and onto its back. It tried to reach around and swat at him but the boy was smart. He moved as close as he could to the giant's spine, making it as difficult as possible for the colossus to reach him. Seeing a chance, Mikoto charged forward as well, her fire imbued blade scoring cauterized wounds in the monsters thick hide as she ran around its feet and ankles.
"You're insane!" Asfi shouted to Bell as she flew past him.
Bell ignored her and continued to climb. As he pulled himself up onto the giant's shoulder, he knew he would only have a few precious seconds. Calling upon his magic, the boy's hands lit up with flame. Jumping, he took aim as quickly as he could. With a scream, Bell released the Firebolt spell's directly into Goliath's ear and down the ear canal. Smoke billowed from the ear as the Floor Boss roared in agony. It swung its arms wildly as Bell began to fall.
"I've got you!" Asfi said as she caught him.
"Look out!"
One of Goliath's flailing hands slammed into the pair, sending them rocketing towards the ground. They landed heavily, crashing and rolling through the felled trees and monster dust. Bell tried desperately to stand, pain shooting across his body.
"Master Bell!" Lili's voice shouted.
She, Welf, and Chigusa had been patched up quickly at the aid station and were running back. In Lili's hands was something special. After Ais Wallenstein had successfully killed the normal Udaeus alone, the Floor Boss had dropped its sword. Not knowing what to do with it, Ais had left it with Bors. Not one to waste a resource, Bors had turned it into a weapon. The very same weapon Lili was carrying.
"Use this!" She panted. "Your Argonaut skill! It might work!" Bell's eyes widened.
"Buy me as much time as you can!" He shouted to the others.
"Will do," Asfi groaned as she rose.
The others nodded and rushed off while Bell began the slow charge of his Argonaut skill. Lili pulled out a very small quiver of enchanted bolts that were designed to explode. Torrhen had given them to her as a last resort, at least until more could be made. Welf charged in, wielding the Shock sword he had lent Ouka earlier. He'd lost his own greatsword during the confusion after the shockwave. Asfi rose back into the air, using what bombs she had left to get Goliath's attention.
The explosive blasts from Lili's bolts and Asfi's bombs combined with the stinging and burning sensations at its feet caused by Welf's sword had Goliath roaring again. It was easily distracted long enough for Mikoto to finish her rather short chant. The only spell in her repertoire was extremely powerful but also very difficult to maintain. Still, she was able to complete her chant quickly and cast the spell.
Her interlocked fingers separated, a glowing orb appearing between them as Mikoto shouted the name of her spell. "Futsu-no-Mitama!" A luminous purple disk sprang to life over Goliath's head and began to descend, forming a glowing purple sword. The moment the tip touched the ground, it formed a massive magic circle. The circle expanded, forming a cylinder of purple energy that encased the giant.
Mikoto grunted as the power of her gravity spell took hold. Slowly, the cylinder began to constrict, collapsing the ground beneath it and forming a crater. She continued to struggle as Goliath roared, desperately fighting to hold the spell as long as she could.
"It's breaking!" She shouted. Only a moment later, the cylinder of energy shattered, releasing Goliath as Mikoto crashed to the ground. For a moment, she despaired. Then she heard a sound. The soft ringing gong of a bell. There Bell stood, his entire body glowing white. A mere heartbeat later, he was charging towards the colossal figure.
At that same moment, as the bright star that was Bell Cranel streaked towards Goliath, Lefiya, who was still stood on the mage's ridge, finished her long chant. Not far behind her were her fellows. The men and women her determination had inspired. Together, they unleashed their spells just as Bell reached Goliath.
"Frostlight Surge!"
"Holy Storm!"
A dozen others were shouted, but Lefiya's voice and power rose up above them all. "Fusillade Fallarica!"
"GRAAAAAAH!" Bell cried out as he swung the Udeaus blade.
The myriad of attacks converged, creating a cacophony of heat, light and noise. Those on the ground were forced to dig in and hold on as the force of the detonation washed over them. When the smoke cleared, the group were thrilled to see that Goliath was gone! Just a crystal sticking out of the crater Mikoto's spell had made.
Once again, however, their joy was short lived. From the sides of the crystal, flesh began to form. Even as just a crystal, the irregular Goliath was regenerating! Bell was having none of it though. He charged towards the edge of the crater and leaped as high as he could. As he passed the crystal on his way down, he rammed the Hestia Knife in as deep as it would go and carved a crack all the way down it.
A heartbeat passed. Then two. Then the crystal shattered into dust. The irregular Goliath was dead! Cheers and cries of joy rang out over the forest as the adventurers celebrated. Once again though, they were silenced. Not by a monster, but by an angry, shouting voice. Climbing out of the crater was Bell, and it was his voice that rang out.
"No! Not yet!" He was shouting. "This isn't over!" He gestured into the distance where the giant Udaeus could be seen fighting the Loki Familia executives. "They need help! Everybody who can stand, regroup at the aid station! We need to get over there as fast as possible!"
The entire forest, everyone who could hear him, sat silent for a moment. Until one voice spoke up. Followed by a dozen others.
"You heard the man!"
"Let's get moving!"
"Follow the Rabbit Foot!"
As one, the ground forces began picking up their wounded and moved to drop them off at the aid station before following their new-found commander towards one last battle. Back at the mages ridge, a similar scene was playing out.
"Let's move!" Lefiya was shouting as she led her mages and the shield wall off the ridge. "Captain Finn and the others need help, and we still have magic to burn."
As the two groups converged at the aid station, the two commanders immediately came together. Without even batting an eye, they began to organize their people and move them towards the battle with Udaeus.
"The executives and the Second String are handling the monsters and Spartoi on the ground," Lefiya said as she and Bell observed the battle.
"I'll bring all our available ground forces to join them." He responded. The boy was exhausted, overwhelmed, and out of his comfort zone at suddenly being deferred to but he was determined to do everything he could to help. "We should be able to handle the weaker monsters at least. That should free up some of your executives to help with the boss."
Lefiya nodded. "I'll bring every person and all the supplies this aid station can spare to the one set up near the camp. Then I'll take the mage contingent up to join Lady Riveria."
"Right." Bell nodded. Then he turned to face the group behind them. "Let's move people! Melee fighters, we're reinforcing the teams on the ground!"
"Healers and mages follow me!" Lefiya added. "We'll drop supplies at their aid station and then join the mages led by Lady Riveria!"
As one, the disparate band of adventurers moved out towards one last battle.
Juggernaut Fight
"Luminous Wind!" Ryuu cast her spell again, causing the Juggernaut to roar and swing wildly for her. Ryuu felt a hand grip her cloak and pull her back. Said hand belonged to a ghostly woman dressed in a kind of carved armor.
"Watch that tail, Elf!" The ghostly woman shouted.
Ryuu didn't even have time to process much of what she had seen and learned that day. So what if Torrhen was a demigod? Who cared if he had apparently summoned the ghosts of his dead children and some old guy she didn't recognize to help fight? There was a giant monster trying to kill them! One almost identical to the one that had murdered Ryuu's entire Familia, taking away every friend she had and causing her to abandon their principles and go hunting for revenge… Ryuu was not ok!
"MID VUR SHAAN"
Ryuu felt great! She was suddenly moving much faster! She was keeping up with her spectral allies! Her mind felt clearer too. Not panicking or questioning reality. Just a calm battle focus. Torrhen's voice cut over the Juggernaut's roars and sounds of combat.
"That feeling won't last forever Ryuu! Use it!"
She nodded and rejoined the fray. With all the surrounding monsters dead, Ryuu had joined Torrhen and his spectral summons in surrounding and trying to kill the Juggernaut. Torrhen, the old man, and the woman with the greatsword were surrounding the beast, attacking randomly and trying to divide its attention. The other woman was further back, throwing spell after spell at the Juggernaut. The creature may have regenerated from the wounds, but if its cries of pain were any indication, those spells hurt. Ryuu herself was making use of its divided attention to duck in and get off whatever blows she could.
Torrhen was well settled into his battle focus as he ducked and weaved around the Juggernauts wild attacks. With its attention divided, the powerful monster's speed didn't matter nearly as much. Since the ghosts of Kodlak and the girls could hurt the Juggernaut but it couldn't hurt them, it kept fruitlessly swinging at where they were striking, only for its attacks to go right through them. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. A way to defeat the beast!
"Kodlak! Girls! Nahagliiv! Their eyes went wide as they understood.
Nahagliiv was a dragon that had terrorized the town of Rorikstead while Kodlak was still the Harbinger of the Companions. When Torrhen set out to kill it, as part of his duty and training as the Dragonborn, his Shield-brothers and sisters had chosen to accompany him. This was before Torrhen had learned Dragonrend, the Shout to knock a dragon from the sky, so when the Dovah landed, trying to eat them, the group had rushed in. Stabbing the dragon from all sides, they had managed to pin it to the ground, allowing Torrhen to make the finishing blow. Kodlak had been there, and the girls had heard the story countless times growing up!
"KRII LUN AUS"
The Marked for Death shout crashed into the Juggernaut, sending it sprawling. Torrhen charged, driving his sword into he beast's torso and into the ground. Kodlak and the girls did as well, driving their blades in as deep as they would go around the creatures body. Ryuu, catching on, used her daggers, to pin the Juggernaut's tail to the ground.
"Girls! Ice!"
"IIZ SLEN NUS!" Torrhen and his daughters Shouted as one. The combined Shouts slammed into the Juggernaut, freezing it solid.
Ryuu almost collapsed on the ground. "Is it over?" She asked.
"Not yet," Torrhen said. "One more, girls." Lucia and Sofie grinned at their father.
"FUS RO DAH!" The triple blast of Unrelenting Force rippled across the clearing and collided with the frozen Juggernaut. With a concussive blast and the sound of cracking ice, the frozen beast shattered into millions of tiny fragments that slowly disintegrated into dust.
"Now its over." Torrhen told Ryuu. The girl promptly collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
"Truly a battle worthy of song, Shield Brother." Kodlak said as he approached.
Torrhen smiled at the old man. "It was good to see you, Kodlak."
"And you." He nodded.
"Shor lets us watch you, sometimes." Lucia added as she too walked over. "I'm glad you finally left that mountain."
"As am I." Sofie nodded. "Mother was rather pleased when we told her."
"You spoke to your mother?" Torrhen gasped, shocked.
"All the time." Lucia shrugged.
"The Aedric afterlives are all connected, Father." Sofie said. "We don't get to speak all the time, but often enough. She can't see you as well as we do, but we tell her what we can."
"You've got a long life ahead of you, Papa. I'm glad you're not wasting it on that mountain." Lucia hugged him, her spectral arms draping over his form.
"The girls have the right of it, brother." Kodlak said with a grin.
"Mother did have a message for us to give you, if we were ever summoned." Sofie added as the three began to fade. "She said not to let her hold you back. If it feels right, then you should go for it."
Torrhen let out a sad laugh. "That sounds like her. I doubt it will happen, but you can tell her I understand. I love you. All of you." He said the last words as they faded out of existence.
A loud boom filled the air. Looking off into the distance, Torrhen could see Udaeus on a rampage. To his surprise and delight, the irregular Goliath as nowhere to be seen. Still, he ought to help Finn and his crew.
"Come on, Ryuu." He said, kneeling by the girl and pulling a potion out of his pouch. "We've still got one more fight to win."
Udaeus Fight
Riveria her team unleashed a massive bombardment of spells towards the colossal skeleton. Udaeus raised its sword in an attempt to block it but the combined force of all those spells cracked and shattered the blade. A huge cheer went up when, not only did the blade shatter, but it did not reform either!
"It's unarmed!" Finn shouted. "Hit it hard!"
He, Ais, and Gareth continued their assault on the Floor Boss as it swung its skeletal arms. As far as anyone was aware, the current incident was only the second time Udaeus had spawned with a sword, which meant it was more than capable of fighting without it.
Up on the ridge where Riveria and her mages were stationed, the elven mage was shocked to see her protégé, Lefiya, leading a party of exhausted looking mages toward her.
"What are you doing here?" She demanded.
"Goliath is dead." Lefiya answered. "We came to help." The girl turned to her followers. "Fan out and start chanting. Nothing wide area if you can avoid it. Single shot or beam attacks only!"
Riveria stared at her student, unmasked pride in her eyes. She turned back to the battle. "It's not going well," she said as her own mages began letting spells off around them. "We managed to destroy its sword, but Udaeus keeps regenerating every time we remove a limb or crack its bones."
"Goliath was the same." Lefiya told her. "It took overwhelming force for us to expose the crystal. It may work here as well."
"Rea Laevateinnn?"
Lefiya nodded. "That's probably best, if we can clear everyone."
"Together." Riveria said. As one, they turned and began their chants.
Down on the ground Bete, Tsubaki, and the twins were still in combat with the summoned Spartoi. Most of the other monsters had been eradicated so now the executives led the Second String against what seemed like a never ending sea of small skeletal warriors. Every once in a while, Udaeus would cause bone spike to rise from the ground, catching them by surprise and causing more than a few injuries. Bete was in the middle of dealing with a particularly annoying Spartoi when just such an attack happened. Bone spikes exploded from the ground behind him, spearing him through the leg.
"Gah!" The Werewolf cried out, clutching his thigh where the spike was jutting out. The Spartoi he had been fighting raised its bone sword. Bete was about to lash out when the Spartoi exploded into dust. Standing behind it, his dagger clearly having been plunged into the skeleton's crystal heart was… "Tomato kid?!"
"Charge!" Bell shouted. He had led his group from the site of the Goliath battle and now they would do everything they could to relieve the exhausted Loki Familia. The Spartoi were Level 4 monsters and the average level of Bell's forces was about 2 so they had divided up into groups to ensure their safety.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Bete demanded. Bell recognized him as the drunken Werewolf who had insulted him after his first encounter with a Minotaur. Still, he didn't have time to think about that.
"Hold still," Bell told him.
Raising his dagger, he brought it down on the spikes that were jutting out of Bete's leg, smashing them. The Werewolf collapsed to the ground, holding in a groan. He didn't want the Tomato Kid to see him in pain.
"Can you get to the aid station?" Bell asked.
"What do I look like, an invalid?" Bete demanded, struggling to his feet. He hobbled off in the direction of the medics, hoping to get healed as quickly as possible and get back into the fight.
Suddenly, Udaeus let out a piercing screech and swung its massive arms wildly. Catching Ais and Gareth off guard, the massive boss sent them both flying through the air. Its arms continued up, clearly intending to perform a ground slam when a figure crashed into it from behind. Udaeus pitched forward, losing all momentum for its attack as the figure fell to the ground.
"Finn!" Torrhen shouted as he landed. He'd thrown himself at the colossal skeleton using
Whirlwind Sprint when he'd seen it winding up for a big attack.
"Torrhen! It's good to see you!" Finn panted. The battle had not been going well but for the most part his group were unharmed.
"Want me to crack that thing open?" Torrhen asked, eying Udaeus as it righted itself. Before Finn could answer, a shout came from on high.
"Clear the area!"
Above them, a gigantic magic circle could be seen swirling around the mages. In its center stood Riveria and Lefiya, both chanting rapidly.
"Move people!" Finn shouted as the surrounding adventurers scrambled to escape the blast zone. "And don't you dare, Torrhen! That thing is mine!" The surrounding adventurers had barely made it out of the blast zone when the twin voices of Riveria and Lefiya rose up.
"REA LAEVATEINN!"
The Floor Boss let out a screeching roar as flame and lave spewed forth, burying Udaeus' massive skeleton. When they cleared, the strange rotting flesh and bones that had covered the beast's ribcage had been melted away. It's arms were still intact though, hanging on by a thread. Before their eyes, the bones and flesh began to regenerate once again.
"Oh no you don't!" Finn shouted.
He charged forward, followed closely behind by Ais and Gareth. The three Level 6 adventurers leapt into the air. Ais came down hard on the left shoulder, using the same technique she had before. Gareth copied her, his axe destroying the right shoulder bones and shattering the half-melted arm. Finn went right up the middle, his spear embedding itself into the crystal half-way up the shaft. For a moment, every adventurer on the floor held their breath. Then, with a colossal 'BOOM,' the irregular Udaeus exploded in a shower of dust.
As one. All across the 18th floor. The adventurers cheered.
A/N: Well? What do you think? Did the perspective changes work? I'll be going back to normal for the next chapter.
This was so challenging to write. I loved it but now I'm anxious to hear if I did well. I've left a few clarifying things down below for anybody who is curious.
For those curious about the casualty count, it will be revealed in the next chapter.
I am aware that the Call of Valor usually only summons 1 hero but this is a Dragonborn who has been alive for over a century. His shouts are gonna be a bit more powerful.
Torrhen's battle armor is a cross between the Dragon Carved armor and the Noric Carved armor but darker and very polished looking. It is nowhere near as bulky as the Nordic Carved. It's slimmer like the Dragon Carved. Every inch is enchanted. Including the chest plate, rerebraces, vambraces, gauntlets, greaves, boots, and glove rings there are 28 enchanting slots. Skyrim only has 23 combat enchantments, including all resistances so he's got everything.
For anybody who is confused: The Second String are the rank below the Executives in the Loki Familia. Lefiya is the only Level 3 Second String in canon.
Lucia is wearing slimmer Nordic Carved armor. Sofie is wearing the Steel Plate Archmage armor and Ebony Archmage helmet from the Black Mage armor mod. Also, it made sense to me that Torrhen would teach his kids to use a few Shouts. They were likely old by the time they got them down, but he probably would have started them young. He'd also have taught them to use it properly. Not like Ulfric.
Also, I know that Lucia is an imperial in canon but I changed that so that I could summon her so in this version, she's a nord.
Translations: Dovahzul (Dragon Language.) Wuld Nah Kest (Whirlwind Fury Tempest. Whirlwind Sprint.) Fus Ro Dah (Force Balance Push. Unrelenting Force.) Yol Toor Shul (Fire Inferno Sun. Fire Breath.) Hun Kaal Zoor (Hero Champion Legend. Call of Valor.) Mid Vur Shaan (Loyal Valor Inspire. Battle Fury.) Nahagliiv (A dragon from Skyrim.) Dovah (Dragon.) Krii Lun Aus (Kill Leech Suffer. Marked For Death.) Iiz Slen Nus (Ice Flesh Stone. Ice Form.)
Answers to Questions
On FFN
Sirisly Grim: Thank you!
MeleeSmasher: I'm not so sure about a god pairing for him, but I'm not opposed to an elf.
Rider126: You're absolutely right. The only difference between the normal one and this one is that mine is larger and has white eyes instead of red eyes.
Petrox: Banishing Hermes would cause story problems, plus he has allies everywhere, but he is definitely going be punished. In the novels, he and Hestia were both punished for causing the incident with Goliath but now Hermes is going to bear the full weight of it.
redcollector: When you think on the timescale of a god (which is likely how the Dungeon sees things) then 7 years isn't that much. In the last 7 years of canon there's been the Evilus war, the juggernaut being summoned against the Astrea Familia, I think Thanatos did some stuff, and then on top of that you have Hermes entering the Dungeon and the battle with the Spirit. All of that in a relatively short amount of time so, I guess the Dungeon was having a temper tantrum.
Walkmanappretincewordsmith: Glad you liked it! I think I will be giving Torrhen a pairing, and I'm leaning towards one character, but I haven't made a final decision on who.
GoTeam: Don't you worry. We will see a few level ups.
wstiglet: Sadly, I'm not gonna have Torrhen beat up Hermes, but he will be punished! As for Apollo and Freya… their times will come. Apollo sooner than Freya, but we will get there.
Christalm: I have a rough plan for how I want recruitment to go. I think I'm making use of something I'm honestly not sure anybody thought of in canon. It will be a sort of general call, but every applicant will have to go through a few tests. Also, thank you for the encouragement. Really. I appreciate it.
VirusZyX: Honestly, I hate Hermes too but he's important to a few points later on in the story. Still, he will be punished! Plus, now Torrhen is more or less on to him. One more slip up and Hermes will not have a good day.
On Ao3
DeviJhonas: I hope I did them justice!
Land_Of_Chaos: Elves don't let non-elves touch their skin. Clothes are a gray area. Torrhen could easily have shaken her shoulder, which is covered in a cloak. Plus she was in shock, I doubt she really cared at that moment. And no, he did not touch her during the talk at the grave.
Raoul and Hulk9970: Raoul had it pretty much spot on. I would say the Udeaus was a low Level 8, the Goliath a Level 5 and the Juggernaut a Level 4 but it's a Juggernaut so it's very dangerous. Still, Torrhen is Level 10, so it wasn't too horrible. A stronger Juggernaut would be even more trouble.