Rebirth: Crawler

PRIMARY QUEST COMPLETED: DESTROY UNKNOWN EGG

PRIMARY QUEST RECIEVED: DESTROY THE GORCA

The hatchling atop the geyser uncurled, stretching out until it spanned over forty feet. At first glance, Ayn could have mistaken it for a massive, legless swan. The curve of its black body had a grace to it despite being a giant oval similar to the egg it came from. A wide, horizontal tailfin waved at the tip, while a contrasting white stripe ran across the hatchling’s underbelly and up to the start of its long, elegant, and stalk-like neck. Feathers covered the neck and head, all white except for the large, orange beak and beady, black eyes.

The hatchling Gorca lifted its head into the air and honked.

BOSS ARENA SEALING IN THIRTY SECONDS

Kayara hid behind Ayn, her hands clamping around Ayn’s shoulders.

Ayn’s stomach sank. “Kayara, I can’t take this thing alone. I need your help.”

“No.”

The word gained a lot more syllables as it wobbled out of Kayara’s mouth.

The Gorca took in its surroundings, sweeping its head side-to-side in an ungainly arc. Ayn focused on the movement. Perhaps the thing, though enormous, had a weakness after all.

“I’m not saying you have to shake its hand…er, fin,” Ayn said. “But if we don’t all fight this thing, one, or all of us, is going to die. You suddenly okay with Rebirthing?”

Kayara’s fingers dug into Ayn’s shoulder in response.

BOSS ARENA SEALING IN FIFTEEN SECONDS

The Gorca spotted them. Its neck stretched slowly in their direction. Its beak parted. Honk.

Kayara yelled. Ayn looked imploringly at Bren, who stared at her wide-eyed and quiet. Ayn grimaced. He was talkative until it really mattered, it seemed.

“How many arrows do you have left?” she asked Kayara.

Silence.

“Okay, fine. I’ll go distract the massive whale with a bird’s head, and you guys support me from here. If I die, take the loss and run.”

Ayn gritted her teeth as the last of the timer ran out. The boss arena would remain sealed, keeping them in and anything else out, until someone or something died. If it was one of them, the rest of the party would get a ten-second chance to accept loss and break the seal. It had to be unanimous, and they still had to get to the floor’s entrance with the boss on their heels, but it was a chance.

Dying while protecting her party wasn’t a bad way to go, Ayn figured. Way better than the last time.

THREE

TWO

ONE

A shimmering film sprouted around them, cutting off any route of escape and leaving them stuck in a circular area surrounding the geyser. The Gorca reared back, neck arched in an S-shape. Ayn spun. She looped her arms under Kayara’s hands, breaking her grip, then darted away, straight into the boss’ nest.

Forty feet looked a lot smaller from the bottom of the floor. The closer Ayn got, the more the Gorca seemed to grow. To her surprise, the boss didn’t charge. Instead, it opened its mouth to receive the gift heading for it, revealing a mouthful of needle-like teeth, each the size of Ayn’s fingers.

“Why does everything in this place have teeth?” Ayn yelled as she drew her sabers.

The Gorca honked in response. Huge black wings Ayn hadn’t noticed unfurled from its rotund body. With one strong flap, it sent her reeling. Good thing she’d already figured out how to maneuver in the odd gravity of the water. Silently thanking the Wark, she rolled with the impact, feeling out the curves of the ripples and letting them catch her at just the right angle. She shot out of the area of effect and charged back in. She positioned herself above the Gorca.

The boss tried to shift its bulk to follow her movements. It jerked and swayed in the water. As graceful as it seemed to be when staying still, forcing it to move proved it was merely a hatchling after all. Ayn bared her teeth in something akin to a smile. Her chances of survival had just gone up.

She flattened her body, pulling her arms in and falling like a spear towards the base of the Gorca’s neck. The Gorca stopped trying to find her. It went still, then stretched its neck out and howled. It was the same howl Ayn had heard when the egg was hatching. Low and trembling, it reverberated in her skull. Her descent stopped as she drew back on reflex, hands going to her ears. She nearly dropped her sabers before her brain caught up. She shook her head and refocused on her target.

A haunting howl answered the Gorca, so close it made the hairs on the back of Ayn’s neck stand up. She pivoted; sabers crossed. A Wark’s maw closed in on the blades, aimed at her throat. It clamped down on blades instead. Blood clouded the water as it yelped and jerked back. A quick strike ended it, revealing three more closing in behind it.

A fireball collided with one, and the other two turned their attention to the caster.

Thanks, Bren, Ayn thought.

As uptight and confrontational as Bren could be, he was proving the most dependable. Gratitude flashed through Ayn’s mind as she left the adds to Bren and continued her attack.

The diversion had given the Gorca enough time to flounder around to face her. Lucky for Ayn, it still moved like a flying truck. With a dodge, she slipped past its attempt to bite and sunk her sabers into its neck. The blades hit resistance, then sunk in with a pop. A small scale popped off. A sense of foreboding she couldn’t quite place rose in Ayn’s mind as the sound of crackling filled her ears.

Electricity arced through her, leaving a trail of molten lava in her veins. She floated in that fire for what felt like an eternity, someone yelling at her from an unfathomable distance.

Reality slammed back in, just in time to see the ghastly maw of a Lamprey Goat closing in on her. Ayn blocked it, barely, her limbs sluggish. Two more Lamprey Goats waited behind the first. Ayn shook her arms as she took in her surroundings. She’d been right on top of the Gorca when it…what? Electrocuted her?

The Gorca’s bulk was easy to spot. Somehow, since her attack, it had moved around her. It charged. Ayn tried to dodge up. A goat appeared to cut off her escape. Six of them now circled her, not attacking, yet pinning her in place. The Gorca drew close enough Ayn could smell the fishy-sweet scent of its breath. The Lamprey Goats scattered, leaving a gift-wrapped snack for the boss.

Ayn refused to shut her eyes, preferring to face death head-on. An arrow sank into the Gorca’s eye. The Gorca’s head snapped to the side, its long neck swinging back toward its body. It didn’t slow its forward momentum, but it gave Ayn the chance she needed. She dodged under the Gorca’s belly; the boss coming within inches of her as it passed.

Showing far more courage than what they started with, the Lamprey Goats, four now, were on top of her before she’d righted herself. Ayn twisted and caught one with a blade, only to have another sink its teeth into her leg.

HEALTH AT 137

Alarm bells went off in Ayn’s head. She’d started the fight at full health, she’d made sure of it. How had she lost two-thirds of it already? Did the electricity hit that hard, or was it the goat?

She kicked the creature off. It flew an impressive distance, taking a chunk of her leg with it.

HEALTH AT 112

Damn. She’d been too out of it to catch how much damage the Gorca had done, and at this point, it didn’t matter. Whether the goats could finish her in one or two bites, dead was dead. She needed to get away and drink a health potion.

Ayn pulled her focus to a sharp point. She blocked out the bleating gurgles of the Lamprey Goats, the honking of the Gorca, even the yells of her party. All she needed was a few seconds.

A Lamprey Goat closed in. Ayn saw it clearly. She punched out with one hand, pressing the hilt of her saber into the goat’s skull as she vaulted over its back like she’d seen Kayara do. Her other hand dropped to her belt and freed a potion. She drank it as she tumbled. She didn’t travel nearly as far as the ranger had. Still, it was long enough to drain the bottle.

HEALTH AT 187

Not enough. Ayn freed another potion as the Lamprey Goats locked back on.

HEALTH AT 237

It would have to do. If Sheyric wasn’t healing her, it meant he was struggling, and she needed to do something about it.

Without the residual numbness of electrocution slowing her down, the Lamprey Goats weren’t nearly as hard to get by. Those remaining attempted to circle her again, but Ayn acted first, catching the nearest one in the face with a saber’s edge. She darted through the resulting cascade of glitter, found the distant bulk of the Gorca, and closed in. Sure enough, it had her party on the run.

Blue auras fizzled in and out as Sheyric backpedaled and healed while Bren cast fireballs at the boss’ face. Kayara floated, doing nothing, a few meters away. Frustration flashed through Ayn, right before a bright, static-like arc bounced around Kayara and split into fractal spurts of electricity. The ranger was paralyzed, but not from her fear.

Ayn hit the Gorca halfway down the curve of its back, not caring to aim for vital points. The boss howled at the sudden pain. A fireball to the jaw shut it up.

“I’m out of mana potions,” Bren shouted up at Ayn. “Four more fireballs, and I’m out!”

Ayn cursed under her breath. She didn’t figure Sheyric was better off, considering the frantic pace of his healing. She worked her sabers up the Gorca’s spine, curving her blade to sever its spine. Her blades bounced off the bone. Everything about the boss was too big and too dense.

Sharp bleating grew near. The Lamprey Goats had recovered from her escape, and it sounded like they still had her on the menu. An idea flashed through Ayn’s mind. Crazy, and a death sentence if she couldn’t pull it off. Then again, it looked like a death sentence if she didn’t try.

Ayn waited until the wet barnyard scent of the Lamprey Goats hit her full force. She let go of her sabers and rolled, sliding across the Gorca’s smooth hide. Four goats, long tails stretched out behind them, burrowed into the Gorca. As Ayn had expected, they couldn’t stop their headlong charge any easier than the Tuna-Cows.

The Gorca’s honks grew shrill as it thrashed. The prickle returned to Ayn’s skin. Her momentum, and the currents churning around the wounded boss, pulled her closer no matter how hard she tried to escape. Static charged the water.

A blur hit Ayn in the stomach. Her eyes watered, her chest locking up and refusing to draw breath as the impact threw her far from the Gorca as the boss lit up in a blinding light. She came to a stop, and it took her a second to realize she wasn’t paralyzed.

“Breathe!” Kayara commanded, slapping Ayn’s back in emphasis.

Ayn did so out of sheer surprise. “Kayara, you—”

“Saved you from getting fried? Yeah. That attack hurts, and Sheyric is about out of heals. That was an insane stunt you pulled, though. Baiting goats?”

Kayara laughed. It was devoid of her usual carefree mirth, and perhaps a little too maniacal, but Ayn was glad to hear it, anyway.

The goats in question had burrowed through the Gorca’s body and disappeared into the resulting bloody mess of water. The Gorca slowed, its bird-like neck twisting toward Ayn and Kayara. With a howl, it lunged. Two Warks materialized by its head, and all three hurtled at the biggest threats.

Kayara retreated, but Ayn stood her ground. The Warks were smarter than the Lamprey Goats. She’d not be able to make them attack the boss, but maybe she didn’t have to. The tunnels in the Gorca had done massive damage. Ayn could tell by the way it wobbled in the water.

She did as she’d done before, waiting until the Gorca’s tooth-filled beak covered her sight, then dodging down to get to the vulnerable neck. But the Gorca had learned. Its wings unfurled and its neck snapped back. The sudden change in momentum brought the boss to a sliding stop and flattened Ayn against its feathered wings. Pain spread over every inch of bare skin.

HEALTH AT 124

Ayn yelled and rolled away.

The feathers looked as soft as any bird, yet on impact proved to be as hard as scales, and just as sharp along the edges. Ayn’s blood mingled with the Gorca’s in the water. It stung her eyes, and the saltwater burned her face and hands. Ayn scrubbed at her face with her sleeve, but it did little to clear her vision. The Gorca hadn’t paralyzed her, yet blind was still as good as dead.

Snarling surrounded her. The Warks had closed in. Ayn could only hope the mobs couldn’t sniff her out until she figured out where they were, even if she had no idea how she was going to do it.

A large shift in water currents reminded her she was still next to the Gorca. A vaguely bird-shaped head slid by inches away. The thwunk of an arrow hitting flesh sounded out. In an instant, Ayn and the Warks were caught in the thrashing vortex of the injured boss. Growls turned to yelps. Unable to see where was safe, Ayn curled into a ball and hoped she didn’t get hit.

The chaos continued for what felt like an eternity as Ayn awaited a killing blow that never came. Then the yelps quieted, and the water stilled.

Ayn uncurled. Her vision had cleared, and the thrashing had dispersed the blood somewhat. The Warks were gone, perhaps killed or driven off in the mayhem. In their place, four Lamprey Goats charged in. Ayn gritted her teeth and pushed away. Her body felt odd still, and sluggish, her movements slowed by the heavy damage and her thoughts slowed by the continuous burning of her skin. She swam backwards, keeping as much distance between her and the goats as she could as her brain ran in circles. She could probably take another mob down, no problem. Maybe even two, but not four.

Her back hit something solid. She glanced back in surprise, only to see the bloodied black and white hide of the Gorca. It didn’t seem to be moving, yet the fact it remained meant only one thing—it wasn’t dead.

The Lamprey Goats were right in front of her, and the time for thinking passed. Ayn’s sabers flashed as she rolled to the side. Two goats shimmered away. A third missed its target, instead burying into the Gorca’s body. The fourth followed, but only after connecting with Ayn’s side. White noise swallowed the burst of pain.

HEALTH AT 1

So much for not tanking everything. Still, it wasn’t like she’d had a choice. She couldn’t focus anymore, or move, so all she could do was hope the Gorca was finally dead. Perhaps the last two goats had vanished with it, or fled. Or not. Not like she could do anything about it either way.

A warm blue light covered her vision.

HEALTH AT 29

A bit of feeling returned, and the pain sharpened. Ayn grimaced, then when Sheyric fuzzed into existence in front of her as her vision returned, forced her grimace into a smile.

“Hey…thanks,” she said.

PRIMARY QUEST COMPLETED: DESTROY THE GORCA

DUNGEON FLOOR TWO CLEARED

PARTY WILL BE TELEPORTED FROM DUNGEON IN TWO MINUTES

Ayn’s smile broadened. “It did die.”

Sheyric bobbed. “Sorry. One heal.”

It took Ayn a second to connect the dots. She still felt terrible, and probably looked worse, but the healer was out of mana. “Oh, that’s fine. I honestly figured you were out a while ago.”

“I thought he was too,” Bren said as he floated up next to Sheyric. “Guess he was saving one just for you and your recklessness.”

Ayn didn’t bother protesting.

“You look like hell,” Kayara said from beside Ayn. “I’d give you a potion, but I already gave them all to the squishies.”

“Squishies?” Bren’s voice rose.

Ayn chuckled at his indignation, an action she immediately regretted as a fresh wave of pain flooded over her.

“Whoa, easy there,” Kayara said. Her hand brushed Ayn’s. “Just a bit more, and we’ll be out of here and you’ll be all healed.”

Ayn resisted nodding. Instead, she switched her focus to the one question she had. “Did my plan work?”

“No one but you would use themselves as bait to get mobs to kill each other,” Kayara said. “But it worked. All that was left were two bewildered goats who didn’t even have the wits to dodge my arrows.”

“Ah. That’s why the quest didn’t complete right away.”

“Yeah. Tricky, huh? Quest didn't say anything about having to kill the adds.”

Ayn knew Kayara was just making small talk, trying to distract her from her current condition. Even lifetime non-combatants knew The System was fair, but unpredictable. It always gave Rebirths a way to overcome, yet almost never told them how.