Crowned in Black: Chapter 11

Beyond the door was a short corridor with a double portcullis. The end of that fed right into Lovi Palace's torture expo. Tension built in my jaws as I stepped inside, searching for Ignas's tall, wiry frame on the racks and hooks... but the room was empty. Well-used, but empty. There was a wooden slab with gutters that was still filthy with blood and tools, stocks, pretty much every type of cage known to man. But no Volod.

I drew a deep breath to speak, and immediately wished I hadn't, because the smell of blood made my stomach rumble. Not for the first time, I inwardly cursed Ashur and every other fucking vampire in Napath as I stalked over to the entry to the cellblock, set the key inside the lock, then quickly realized that the door was already open.

"Hey, this is unlocked already," I whispered to Vash. "Did they forget?"

"Doubtful." Vash made an arcane gesture, straightening his hands and turning one up, the other down. As he did, a wave of qi discharged around him with a rippling pulse I felt over my skin, then sucked back in and gathered around his fists. He was arming one of the Baru Path’s most powerful short-range strike attacks, Black Sun Fist. "Be wary."

I followed his lead, focusing power along the Spear I let myself into the chamber beyond. It didn't open into another corridor. Lines of cells stretched to the right and left ahead of us, but not even my eyes could make out the limits of this lightless place. We moved quickly, fanning out to peer through the barred doors. Tiny slots let in moonlight from the surface, chopping the floor with beams of weak golden light. Palace dungeons didn't tend to be big, let alone massive, but this one sure was. There had to be at least thirty cells. The ones at the front were all empty, relics of a darker time in Revala's history when such a huge prison must have been needed. According to the map, the cell block was shaped like a U, bending sharply to the right.

When we were sure Ignas wasn't in any of those cells, I dropped into a low, silent run, and was about to round the corner ahead when some instinct made me freeze in place. I caught my breath, ears humming, and frantically motioned behind me to halt Vash and Mehkhet before they could break concealment.

"Eh?" Vash crouched close behind me. Whatever it was, he couldn't seem to hear it.

I put a finger to my lips, motioned with my arms to indicate something big, then pointed around the corner. Even Vash's soft whisper had stirred the whatever-it-was to alertness. There was a soft sound from up ahead. Something was moving - something huge but stealthy, stalking the corridor on padded feet. What it was, I couldn't tell: as I peeked around the corner and stared into the gloom, I sensed something sleek and low-slung. A glint of hard skin, a swaying whip-like tail passing through the moonlight slanting in from overhead. It stopped in the darkness, utterly silent, then turned back. I lost sight of it as it merged into the shadows between the beams.

"Guess that explains the unlocked door," I whispered, once I was sure it was no longer close. I uncorked a heavy duty potion, and brought my HP back up to full. "Get ready for a fight. Mehkhet... do you have Silence magic?"

The shade hung silently for a few moments before answering. "Yes, Master: Field of Silence. It is a spell which must be continuously maintained. If I cast it, I cannot otherwise aid the battle."

I frowned, and quickly had Navigail read me the spell description:

Field of Silence

The caster enacts a forcefield from which no sound can escape. Any sound created within the Field of Silence is audible to those inside the range of the spell, but is shielded from anyone outside of the area of effect. Cost: 1MP per second, max 320 seconds.

"Perfect. Two on one is good odds." I searched the darkness ahead, trying to make out the shape as it slunk back toward us. "Karalti, we're about to head into a boss fight. How are you and Ebisa?"

"We're at the Royal Suite. Nearly got caught, but it's okay now. Ebisa is about to start on the door."

"Good luck. Keep me posted." I cut the link, shifting into a predatory crouch, and tightened my grip on the Spear. The creature slid back into view, and I finally got a look at it. It was a giant panther-like monster straight out of hell. Lean, ripped with muscle, and covered in hard, glossy black skin, with a long stingray tail and big fuck-off claws.

With the other hand, I signaled Vash for a count of five, counting down as the creature turned and began to pace away from us. On three, I tensed like a sprinter. On four... "Mehkhet, start casting now!"

The shade billowed around us, then expanded out into a hazy cloud of engulfing cold. As he did, a bubble of energy expanded around him, filling the hallway like a sonar ping. The creature startled as magic rushed over its skin, whirling in place as Vash bounded ahead of me.

"EEEEEEHHHIIIIIEEEEE!" The thing leaped backwards, and let out a wailing banshee scream that would have alerted the entire palace if Mehkhet hadn’t been suppressing sound. As it screamed, its muzzle peeled back from its teeth - and kept peeling back, until it seemed like it was somehow stripping the skin off its own skull. It had sick yellow eyes, glowing and wild with madness - magical madness, that it shunted toward us in a wave of force.

[Barbarossa casts Terrorize!]

[You are immune to Fear effects.]

[Mehkhet is immune to Fear effects.]

Vash was the bravest men I knew, but he didn't have any special resistances against magically-induced fear - or if he did, he failed his check. As the sickening blast of magic rolled over us, his thin face froze in a terrified grimace. He skidded to a stop, his martial stance faltering.

"Vash! Get behind me 'til the spell passes!" I shouted at him, sprinting forward. I blurred into Shadow Dance as the Barbarossa’s tail whipped toward my ribs, taking a sliver of damage and gaining its full attention. It spun on me with another piercing shriek, like the scream of a dying woman, pouncing forward with its claws. The blow was so quick and powerful that it broke my guard and struck my armor, screeching along the cleverly-knit scale suit and tearing at the metal and leather.

[Barbarossa uses Rend! Armor damaged by 15%]

[You take 482 damage. HP: 2732/3214]

Oh, fuck. THAT wasn't good.

I dashed back as it bounded forward and tried to slap me again, then bite. I bashed its paw aside, then Jumped before my back slammed into one of the barred doors and vaulted up into the air. It was faster than either of us, easily matching my speed as it lunged with multiple slashing attacks.

"Hey! No fair! I'm supposed to be the combo guy!" I landed a Jump on its back, the Spear cracking off its armor, and barely missed a one-two set of flailing claws as it screeched and jumped, twisting mid-air. I didn’t even have time to get Master of Blades off.

[You deal 1434 damage to Barbarossa! HP: 24,278/25,712]

That low damage from Jump meant that the Barbarossa had some serious Damage Reduction: 50% or more. Behind me, Vash was fighting the magic through will alone, face contorted with mingled fear and rage. Finally, he broke through: He let out a harsh shout, kiboiling over his arms as he closed in from behind and drove his knuckles into the Barbarossa's hip. There was a crack, and the creature screeched and whirled, suddenly realizing it was flanked.

[Vash uses Shatterblow! 1,253 damage! Enemy armor reduced by 10%!]

"You're not the only one who can fuck with armor!" The Spear of Nine Spheres frosted over as painfully cold energy gathered into it and blasted into the distracted Barbarossa from the other side. It stumbled as its hard skin warped and split under the intense chill, Shattering Darkness reducing its DR by a further 18 percent. The monster peeled its face back again, jaws gaping wide. I made the mistake of noticing - and caught its barbed tail across the face like a whip as it whirled back to strike at Vash. The blow tore my visor off and struck my head to the side with agonizing force.

[Barbarossa lands a critical hit! 877 damage! You are Stunned!]

The cat-like creature was so fast that it took full advantage of that stun. It spun like a bucking bronco, kicking Vash in the chest with both back feet and sending him flying into the opposite wall as it lunged at me with jaws and claws. Adrenaline surged through my body as drove me to the ground, its skinless jaws closing to either side of my face in a killing bite. I got my hands up between the Barbarossa's jaws just in time, snarling with effort as the cat-like monster bore down with triple rows of teeth. Fetid drool spattered my skin, burning in my eyes as it thrashed with inhuman strength, savaging me like a crocodile trying to roll with a corpse.

"FUCK! OFF!" With no way to get it off me, and my armor dropping to 55%, then 45% integrity, I did the only thing I could think of: I shoved my fist into its throat down to the elbow.

"HRREEE-URRRGHBLL!!" The Barbarossa gurgled on its next shrill scream, trying to backpedal.

"Oh no you fucking don't!" Numb fingers groped until they found the base of its barbed tongue, and I called the Spear to my off-hand. Vash couldn't see what was happening, but kept raining blows from behind, racking up flanking strike after flanking strike as the monster bucked and kicked. The Barbarossa clamped its jaws down, though with a throatful of pissed off dhampir arm, it didn't have the kind of leverage it was used to. Bruising pain shot from elbow to shoulder as the beast tore scales from my armor, but it was slowly choking to death, and taking constant damage from Vash. But my gauntlet's integrity was dropping faster than its HP. Even as I realized that, the Barbarossa began to thrash from side to side, whipping its head with enough force to nearly dislocate my arm. Cold, icy fear gripped me as I realized I couldn't get my spear in position to stab it - and then it hit me. The Spear.

"Time... for... cat-fucking... shishkabob!" I dropped the weapon to the floor, let go of the Barbarossa's tongue - and summoned the Spear to my main hand.

The Barbarossa threw its head back with a shrill choking cry as seven feet of magically-charged bluesteel burst into existence inside of it, lancing through its neck and deep into its guts. I had the weird, revolting sense of its torso clinging to the weapon - just before I let out a focusing shout, and triggered Shadow Lance inside of its body. Black glowing shards of ice exploded outward from its hard carapace, smoking with flash-frozen blood and gore.

[You have dealt a Mortal Blow to Barbarossa!]

[You gain 3489 EXP!]

I hung on grimly as the monster thrashed itself to stillness and collapsed. Vash looked over at me, eyes wide.

"Well, that's not something you see every day." He dropped his guard and scratched his neck, looking down at the skewered boss. "Brings a whole new meaning to 'arse to mouth'."

I stared back at him.

"What? Don't you look at me like that." He flashed me a rude gesture.

"Vash, you of all men should know the difference between deep-throating and fisting." I feigned deep offense, waiting for the boss's corpse to dissolve... because my arm was stuck. The Spear was kind of on an angle, jammed through the Barbarossa's ribs. "I'm not angry. Just disappointed."

"Aii, you're right." He sighed, and slumped his shoulders. "Strike me down where I stand, Hector. I have brought shame upon my ancestors."

Normally I would have laughed. Instead, I managed a kind of strained grimace. We were both staving off the horror we expected to find behind one of these doors, after what we'd seen in the torture room.

Mehkhet dropped his Field of Silence as he drifted closer, robes billowing as a deeper black against the gloom. "Master... there is a weak life signature in the third cell to the left. I suggest you begin there."

"Thanks. The fact you know that is only kind of creepy, I guess." I stared at the Barbarossa, willing it to dissolve: then remembered where we were. "Shit. Vash, this corpse isn't going to despawn. Can you help me get this off?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Vash gave me a wry, tired smile, and moved over to help free my arm and weapon from the monster's corpse. With effort, we were able to extract both. My nice new armor was mangled, but it had done its job and saved me from amputation. Once I was free, I looted it, and came up with a list of useful and not-so-useful items:

- Barbarossa venom gland

- Barbarossa tail

- Hellcat Gall

- Fiend's Bezoar

- Barbarossa chitin

[You have completed Side-Quest: Field Research. Report to Yaola Tlaxi’Zanya to claim your rewards.]

There were no extra keys. We took the ones we'd looted over to the door, where Mehkhet stood post. While Vash cycled through the different keys, I staved off the tension by rapidly assembling the potions and tools I'd brought into my quickbar, watching as the door swung in.

"Oh god. Ignas."