Homestead Survival

<Dungeon: The Royal Crypts of Karzun, Floor 1, A+ -- S->
[Theo and Julia]

"Alright," Theo said as they started the long walk back to the first intersection, "we have two options: straight ahead and left. Do you have a preference?"

Julia shrugged and then used her Hand of Gold to summon a Gold coin. One side had a strange infinity symbol on it; the other had a series of lines. "The infinity symbol is heads, the lines are tails. Call it in the air; if you get it right, we go straight; if you get it wrong, we go left. Deal?"

"Good enough for me," Theo said, and then when she sent the coin flipping through the air as they walked, he called it. "Heads."

Julia snatched the coin out of the air and placed it on the back of her left hand. They both saw the lines. "Tails. We go left."

"Okay," Theo said, and they continued on in silence. When they got to the intersection, they briefly paused, listening for any sounds they could hear. Nothing came from the right hallway they had explored earlier. The hallway straight ahead had several minor sounds that could have been anything. The left hallway that they started walking down was silent.

They walked for roughly a half hour and came to a massive door that seemed to pulse with energy. They stared up at the massive door. Theo broke the silence. "I still can't quite get over how massive this whole dungeon is."

"I mean true, but it is made for dragons." Julia said, "But anyways, what is it? Are we gonna get jumped by golems again?"

"I don't know," Theo said, reaching out his hand. As soon as he touched the door, an Identification screen opened up, hovering over the door.

"Oh, floor two," Theo said

"Wasn't the original suggestion of the System to not go any further than floors one and two?" Julia asked.

"I think so," Theo said, thinking. "What do you want to do?"

Julia thought for a moment. "Well, let's go back and go down the other hall to see where it goes and then decide from there."

"Sounds good."

They turned together and started walking the long hallway back to the intersection, and upon arriving, they started down the final direction they had not checked yet. After a while, they started to make out another intersection ahead.

"Okay, choice time," Julia said.

Theo was about to respond when they both heard a familiar skittering sound. Theo looked at Julia. "Scale Rats."

They turned back just in time to see the two creatures come into view.

{Scale Rat, Level 05, S-}
{Scale Rat, Level 06, S-}

Both of the Scale Rats took one look at Theo and Julia and lunged at them. Julia stepped back and established a ring of Ward runes around herself. Theo Taunted the Scale Rats, and as they were about to attack him, he began channeling Penitent Strike. In the ten seconds that he was able to channel the skill, the Scale rats managed to attack him a total of seven times, and he felt the charges of Retaliate building in his chest. So he slammed his foot into the ground, and a wave of energy washed over both Scale Rats, knocking them back,

Theo summoned the Master Tool to his hand, having it take the form of a sledgehammer. He laid into the Scale Rats with abandon, and felt retaliate course through him over and over as he was struck. After several strikes, he felt Julia's Warmth of the Hearth switch to its active mode, and he started to sweat a little more, but he could feel his body healing.

Theo began to channel Penitent Strike once more; this time, the Scale Rats managed to strike him six times. Rather than push the power into the area of affect attack, Theo swung at the level six Scale Rat, catching it in the shoulder, and it dropped dead instantly. The level five flew into a rage and swung its tail at Theo, who caught the tail on his arm and then swung the hammer as hard as he could one-handed, bringing it down on the Scale Rat's head with a sickening crunch.

As the two bodies dissolved into loot, Julia looked at Theo. "What was that attack with your stomping?"

"It's the Penitent Strike," Theo said quickly, going to his skills list and reading the skill off to Julia. "It says, 'The user lashes out with either a weapon or a limb and deals damage based on their strength. Users can focus for up to ten seconds and absorb part of the damage. Releasing this energy as bonus damage in either a strike or a burst around themselves. And it is Bond Enhanced and says, 'Do not absorb damage anymore. Instead, hold back Retaliate charges until the end of the focus. Unleash all charges in one strike or burst."

"That is a little bit broken, isn't it?" Julia said with a slight frown.

Theo shrugged, "I mean maybe, but for anything with some toughness to it, I don't know that it is. I still have to take the hits."

"Fair enough. What did we get?" Julia asked.

Theo looked at the piles quickly, handing Julia things as he called them out."Two Scale Rat Hides, one set of Scale Rat Fangs. And a Dungeon Invader Tag."

Julia nodded as Theo took the time to open his dimensional storage and add the tag to it. As he did this, Julia drew an arrow on the floor in smaller Ward runes. Theo finished what he was doing and walked to the middle of the intersection. "Alright, which way?"

Julia shrugged and pointed on a whim. "Let's go left first."

"Onwards!" Theo called out dramatically, and they began walking down the hallway.

After another three quarters of an hour, the hallway suddenly began to widen on the right side, with the wall taking a forty-five-degree turn away from the other wall. Theo and Julia also noticed that this area was significantly brighter than the parts of the Crypt they had seen thus far; it let them see much farther.

Up ahead, they could see a group of Mana Leeches in a corner of the large, oddly shaped room. To their right, they heard thudding steps and saw a massive Runestone Golem marching around a massive eggshell. Theo looked apprehensively at the Runestone Golem. "Let's clear the Mana Leeches and then figure out what to do."

Julia nodded and they walked forward. As they did so, one of the Mana Leeches, who was glowing brightly, headed off towards the Runestone Golem. They ignored it and kept moving until the combat text appeared over the six remaining mana Leeches.

{[Enthralled] Mana Leech, Level 05, S-}
{[Enthralled] Mana Leech, Level 04, S-}
{[Enthralled] Mana Leech, Level 04, S-}
{[Enthralled] Mana Leech, Level 06, S-}
{[Enthralled] Mana Leech, Level 04, S-}
{[Enthralled] Mana Leech, Level 04, S-}

Julia looked concerned as she set up her Ward rune ring. "What does the Enthralled mean? Should we be concerned?"

Theo shrugged as he put his Master Tool away. "I don't know, but I am gonna try using my Penitent Strike on them and see if it is enough. Heal me, please."

Theo stepped forward as Julia summoned the Rod of Lesser Healing to her hand just in case. Theo Taunted the Mana Leeches when they got close enough, and just as the first one attacked, Theo grabbed it out of the air, used his identification skill, and then enabled his focus.

The six Mana Leeches, including the one in his hand, managed to attack him a total of twenty-one times in ten seconds. He slammed his foot down, and all of the Mana Leeched dropped to the ground, dead.

He looked at the results of his identification as he began to collect the corpses.

"Huh," Theo said, "So that Enthralled tag was to indicate it was under the control of another monster."

"That is mildly concerning," Julia said as she watched the area around them. Then, she noticed something in the distance near the Runestone Golem. "Theo, look."

He looked up from gathering the bodies and watched what she was pointing at. In the distance, the brightly glowing Mana Leech finally reached the Runestone Golem and was seized by the Golem. The Golem then ate the Leech.

"What the hell is that thing?" Theo asked, and before either of them could say anything else, they got a notification, not from the System but from the Dungeon.

"So it has a seventy percent success rate?" Theo said, doing the rough math in his head.

"I mean that doesn't necessarily mean that it has a thirty percent kill rate." Julia said, doing the same math, "There could be a good number of people who see this and leave."

"I mean, I guess." Theo looked thoughtful. "So what do you think?"

"I mean, we have already kind of established a pattern of Go Big or Go Home," Julia said playfully.

"Yeah, but we might also start to Find Out, if we Fuck Around," Theo said returning her playful energy. "Also, there is another boss."

"Yeah, I noticed that as well." Julia said and then shrugged, "fuck it. Go big."

"Alright," Theo said in agreeance. Let's get ready and see what happens.

They take a few minutes to watch the Enthralled Mana Leeches bring something to the Massive Runestone Golem. Julia was the first one to figure it out. "Maybe they are bringing it, Mana."

"Maybe," Theo said and then had a thought, "I wonder if it will recall all the Enthralled Mana Leeches to fight with it."

"Maybe," Julia said. "Do you want to do this now or try to sneak around it and wipe out some of the Mana Leeches? That hallway looks like it goes on for quite a ways. We could also go back and check out the other direction from the intersection."

"I mean, you said go big or go home," Theo said, looking at the massive Runestone Golem. "So I say we make it happen."

Julia nodded, and they began to prepare.

After nearly an hour, they had come up with a plan that was as old as video games had been. Kite & fight. Theo and Julia were unsure if there would be fight phases, or if they would need to worry about the Enthralled Mana Leeches, or anything else, but the general plan right now was to kite the Runestone Golem and destroy it from a distance.

As it was now, it seemed rather content to march in a circle around the massive eggshell. So they were going to take advantage of that. Theo would run up, strike the Golem and taunt it, and then lead it in a circle around Julia while she struck at it with her Glimmer Branch. Then they would keep doing this for as long as it took.

If Theo needed a break, Julia would step up and do her best to contain it with Ward runes; then they would rinse and repeat as many times as needed. So the two of them sat down for a meal and prepared to start.

Theo, after putting his Dagger and anything else away, took his Master Tool and formed it into the long-handled hammer he had used on the first Runestone Golem. Then, when the massive Golem walked past and was on the opposite side of the eggshell, Theo ran out, wound up his muscles, and prepared. When the Golem came around, the eggshell text floated over its head.

{[BOSS] Runestone Mana Harvester, Level 09, S-}

As soon as it saw Theo, it sped up to the speed of a slow jog, its massive lumbering steps full of power. It closed in. Five steps away... Four steps away... Three Steps away.

Two steps away, Theo used Penitent Strike as if it were a normal Strike skill and used every muscle in his body to accelerate the hammer head before it slammed into the shoulder of the Runestone Mana Harvester. It started to speed up slightly, and Theo cast Taunt and began to lead it in circle, alternating between slamming the long-handled hammer into the knees of the Golem and casting Taunt while Julia fired shot after shot after shot of power from her Glimmer Branch.

A total of an hour had passed since the start of the fight, and the Golem was like the tide. Slow and Inevitable. It was taking damage, but they had no idea how much it would take. After getting to the speed of a rapid power walk, the Golem had not sped up at all and was doing its best to get to Theo and attack him.

Right now, it was lumbering out from behind the Eggshell after Theo had led it roughly a hundred yards down the hall. Theo was taking a few bites from a meat stick and a drink from his water skin, sweat soaking his shirt.

"Are you okay?" Julia said from where she walked with him.

"I'm good, just getting tired. I need to take out a knee so that I can take a minute before breaking him down." Theo said, looking at the massive lumbering Golem.

"Well then, let's do it," Julia said, picking her wand up from where she had stuck it in her belt to take a drink.

"Alright," Theo said, putting his stuff away and forming his Master Tool into a heavy rock pick.

It took them twenty minutes to break the Golem's right leg. As they watched it fall, they cheered, thinking that it would be an easy fight now. Instead, the Golem put on a burst of speed they had not seen from it before, using all three limbs to lunge at them like a deranged dog of some kind.

Once it realized it was not going to catch them, it did something new. It stopped, and a faint red light began to emanate from any cracks or joints. Then it opened its mouth and let out a long note that sounded like a horn blast.

The long hallway they had not explored yet was suddenly filled with a sound that they all recognized. Theo and Julia looked at each other and spoke in unison. "Mana Leeches."

From their left, in an alcove they had noticed contained another eggshell, three Enthralled Mana Leeches, now with red eyes, rushed towards them. Theo braced for the attack, but they ignored him and Julia, rushing to the Runestone Mana Harvester, who snatched one and ate it. The cracks in its massive body began to seal themselves. Theo rushed over and taunted. Drawing the Mana Leeches away and then heard Julia cry out.

"Theo! You need to do something!" Julia was panicked.

Theo looked down the hall and saw a massive swarm of Enthralled Mana Leeches coming their way. He wondered what to do and almost said to run when an idea struck him. "Alright, encircle the big guy so that they can't get to him! I'll get the Leeches."

Without waiting to see if she understood, Theo took off.

[Julia]
"Theo! You need to do something!" Julia said, looking in panic at the horde of Enthralled Mana Leeches that were coming.

In a moment, Theo responded. "Alright, encircle the big guy so that they can't get to him! I'll get the Leeches."

Theo then took off at a dead sprint towards the Leeches. Julia was frozen for a moment and then shook herself. She looked at the massive Golem and stepped closer, then cast as many Ward runes as she possibly could, layering them four, five, even six deep as she walked around it. She continued to layer Ward runes and fire her Glimmer Branch as she walked around and around.

Finally, she heard the pounding of boots on stone and heard Theo shout. "You better be ready to heal me!"

Julia looked back and found Theo sprinting all out, with a swarm of more than fifty Enthralled Mana Leeches just behind him. Julia stopped pacing, quickly retrieved the Rod of Lesser Healing, and then layered a set of Ward runes around herself, switched her Warmth of the Heart to its active mode, and silently sent up a prayer for this crazy, crazy man.

[Theo]
As he took off sprinting away from Julia, he thought he was brilliant. It wasn't until he had half the horde of Enthralled Mana Leeches Taunted that he thought maybe this was a bad idea. When the first half he had already Taunted, crashed into the second half of the horde, giving him an opportunity to start sprinting back towards Julia, he was convinced that he would be dead soon.

"Welp, gonna be gone soon, might as well put on a good showing!" He thought to himself as he poured on the coals, thankful that he was already in good shape and that the System and its stats had only improved his fitness.

He came within shouting distance of Julia. "You better be ready to heal me!"

Julia turned and paled at the sight. Then Theo saw a layered ring of Ward Runes appear around her, and the Rod of Lesser Healing dropped into her left hand. At the same time, he felt himself get warm from her healing skill.

Theo smiled at her, then skidded to a stop, his Master Tool forming the massive hammer he was coming to enjoy swinging around. Then he used Taunt, and the instant before the first Enthralled Mana Leech hit him, he started using Penitent Strike.

"One... Two... Three..."

[Theo and Julia]

Though they didn't know it, Theo and Julia were both counting and had managed to start counting at the same time.

"Four... Five..."

Blood spouted from Theo, and Julia stopped counting, forced to use a charge of the rod and cast Stanch.

Theo Kept counting, "Six... Seven..."

One of the Enthralled Mana Leeches bit his ear, and he cried out, counting out loud, "Eight!.. Nine!.. Ten!"

When he hit ten, he channeled all the energy that was railing against containment into the hammer. With a roar, Theo brought the hammer down on the Boss, who was still trying to claw its way forward.

The Boss's chest exploded, and it died. Theo did not know this, but he had sustained nearly three hundred hits from the Enthralled Mana Leeches.

Julia burned another usage of the rod. "Theo!?"

"One More!" He started channeling, and ten seconds later he slammed the butt of the massive hammer down, and Julia could feel the shockwave of force that instantly killed all of the Enthralled Mana Leeches.

"We did it!" Julia cried out and then gasped and rushed to Theo, who was coughing up blood.

"Yes, we did," Theo said after Julia had cast Stanch and the last use for the day of the Rod of Lesser Healing. "Remind me to use my brain next time I want to do something that fucking stupid."

Julia chuckled as she looked down at the man who was lying on his back, breathing deeply. She was about to speak when they received several messages.

>Local Message: Battle Delay of Notifications disabled.

Suddenly, they began to receive a flood of information.