NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1.31 – The Announcer
Fiona leaped to the side, rolling over broken bones.
There seemed to be no real theme to the arena, other than to throw enemies at them with no rest between. There had been two enormous minotaurs. A pack of wolves.
And now the fifth gate. The first of the two larger gates.
A giant scorpion. Fiona had never been immediately terrified by arachnids - until now. Turns out, when a sting reaches twelve foot up in the air and the claws are the size of your gnome friend, they are scary.
She rolled again, as the stinger rapidly slammed into the ground next to her, before a claw tried to snip where she was landing - only to meet the edges of Qae's shield, denting it slightly.
Qae pushed the claw back and stabbed toward the creature's face, cutting it, and enraging it. A sharp purple glow around her, and a ghostly purple replica of her sword slicing the creature again. And again. And again.
It wouldn't do damage, but the scorpion jumped back every time allowing Liddy to jump on its back and climb up towards one of the only parts of the body not resistant to her slicing weapon. Running up the curving tail the gnome backflipped, slicing her chakrams in front of her and disarming the deadly stinger falling to the ground, impotent venom sprayed across the creature's back as it reared back in pain, exposing its belly.
Which shortly burst into black flame, Liddy landing just out of range of the explosion. Fiona clenched her fist around the grip of her hammer and rushed in, the creature now on its back claws snapping aimlessly and easily dodged through, with one powerful strong strike finishing the creature off.
They stood there, silently before moving back together in the middle. Exhausted. Tired. Liddy had received a cut on her leg Timmy hadn't quite managed to heal. Qae had a scratch on her face that just avoided her eye. They were all worn out, but they had learned how this Arena worked. It would not give them much of a chance to rest up - Timmy wooshed around trying to get the worst of it, Fiona chugged a healing potion from the first floor.
"CONGRATULATIONS CHALLENGEEERS!" The incorporeal announcer, his frustrating voice ringing through the arena again. "You are HALF WAY THERE! Five more floors - can you make it? Gate six will see!"
They steeled themselves.
The sixth gate was some sort of enormous cat beast, far easier for Liddy to slice, despite its spiked tail swinging wildly behind it as it pushed violently against Qae's shield, repeatedly crashing into it until one of Ash's bullets found its way and ended the beast.
Seven was easier. A horde of furious lizards charged towards them, but between the cannoneer, [Time Wall], and Fiona doing her best impression of a helicopter it was. One snuck past and Ash had a large cut on her leg.
Eight was complicated again. Ash, healing potions unable to fully clean her wound and Timmy not working fast enough between gates was unable to move against the three bone giants approaching them. Qae had her hands full protecting the cannoneer, as Liddy's attacks were of little effect against the armored creatures. Fiona managed to crush their legs, causing them to fall down - the final blow being dealt by Ash.
Nine dealt more damage to them than any of the others.
A sand spirit. Fiona regretted not getting a mage - but at least Ash's black flame could do some damage to them, while Fiona did nearly nothing, her hammer flying through the creature's body with no damage. All they could do was try and make opportunities for the fox-woman to get her shots in, making the fight take longer than any of the others. In the end, Fiona was bloodied all over - [Strong Skin] surely saved her, especially with three friends affecting it now. She could truly feel its effects, hits feeling just a little less... Painful? Impactful?
They just weren't as bad. Individually. But now she was covered - Liddy was as well, through no fault of Qae's. It was hard to distract an enemy who could just float through you - and the dragon queen was also hurt, covered in sand and grime.
They took whatever potions they had left - no point saving anything at this point. Fiona knew she'd be using [Lost in Passion] - They'd warned Ash so the increase in speed and strength was expected.
And now they stood in front of the last gate - waiting. The announcer had been frustrating them after every fight until now, and it was suddenly quiet. Silent. Fiona thought she preferred the quiet, but it made it eerie.
Suddenly the gate moved, clickity-clacking upwards. She could feel her party members tensing around her. Fiona readied her hammer.
The first surprise was the size - the gate was massive, the same size the scorpion had come out of if not slightly bigger. But what came, was not. Just a normally-sized man.
"Weeelcome challengers, to the final gate!" That voice. That grin, that she could hear through his taunts so far. The announcer.
He was wearing a hooded, flowing robe. Tattered and dirty, the green outfit covered most of his face other than his toothy grin. He was holding a sickle and chain in one hand, a shortsword in the other as he walked slowly towards them.
Click, woosh,
BOOM.Ash had let her cannon fly, but Fiona had seen - the second before impact, the man had... disappeared, Qae's [Time Wall] went up, her shield landing in front of Fiona's face intercepting the sickle thrusted towards her.
Fiona Activated [Lost in Passion]
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Ash felt the effect immediately, as soon as the berserker started glowing pink. She was faster, stronger. She pulled her pistol, firing above Qae on the Announcer, as he fell slowly through the [Time Wall]. She could see the soft pink glow around herself, and her whole party - This power was invigorating, definitely a valuable reward for... sharing their interest with Fiona. Not that she would have minded anyways. She felt invincible, her exhaustion nearly washed away. Nearly.
She jumped back, keeping her distance as Qae removed the [Time Wall], but immediately activating an ability Ash hadn't seen yet - black and purple circles spinning around the paladin, pulling things towards her.
She didn't care, and she lifted her other pistol just as Fiona, a massive grin on her face, giggled. And then she became a furious storm of metal, tits, and muscle, as her hammer flew towards the Announcer. Liddy, Timmy, and Chompy joined in and Ash was almost awestruck at the synergy between the party.
Fiona, with absolutely no regard for her own safety, swung into the Announcer's attack, while Liddy kicked the side of the man's hand directing his sword away from her friend. Fiona's hammer smashed into his shoulder, as Liddy went for a slice on his leg. Qae managed to land a prod against his torso, making him wince and send his sickle towards Fiona again.
This time it hit, scoring a cut on the berserker's bicep that would have made any person stop. If they weren't a berserker completely lost to all reason, and her upwards swing lifted the man several feet away - Ash lifted her second pistol, taking the opportunity.
Her shot hit the man's shoulder, making him drop his sword. And his hood.
And the familiar sight from the second gate looked back at them. Zombie. But sentient, and so much more powerful, able to absorb every blow.
"Challengers, you have sho-" He seemed to have something to say, but didn't account for Fiona who interrupted his monologue with another hammer attack.
"Protect her!" Liddy screamed at the top of her lungs, as the gnome and the dragon rushed after - Ash was reloading all three of her weapons.
"So be it!" The Announcer bellowed as his sickle slashed against Fiona again, cutting her other arm. The berserker laughed, hammer swinging down and thudding into the ground as the undead disappeared again - flashing up behind Fiona.
Ash pulled the trigger on her pistol, hitting the side of the Announcer's face - erasing half of it in a flash of dark flame.
Which stopped him from hitting Fiona, but did not stop him.
Liddy and Qae were on him a second later, and Fiona spun around quickly, her hammer smashing right into his chest pushing him back towards her allies where he crashed into Qae's shield.
"CHALLENGERS! You will ne-"
Liddy wasted no time to remove the sickle. And the hand attached to it, before Fiona, eyes pink, the furious dance of passion swirling around her, brought her hammer in with full force against the boss.
Who was still pinned against Qae's shield.
An unstoppable force met an immovable object, and the Announcer was stuck in the middle.
And then he was quiet.