Rune Seeker

The flaming edge of the Greatsword of Amin Thett parted the brass armor like thick, stubborn butter, while the hammer of Impact around it crushed down across the entire back. Metal groaned – both the Mid-Boss and the bridge it stood on – as the length of its body slammed down, splaying its legs wide out to the sides like a giant had stepped on it.

Half the blade deep, though, Hiral’s strike abruptly stopped, and he barely twisted around to get his feet under him. Scorching heat transferred through the soles of his boots, searing his skin, before he launched himself back straight up, sword in hand even as he twisted his wrist.

Metal plates – and gobs of lava-like brass – showered off to the side, forcing Yanily and Right to dodge nimbly out of the way. A heartbeat, and Hiral was past the portal swallowing the still-endless stream of shots, only for him to stop fifty feet up. A coughing breath drew cool air into his lungs, and he stared down at the damage he’d done.

Most of the plating along the Scorpinator’s back had been melted, torn off, or outright mangled by the combined assault. Even the heavy leg joints connected to the body – and the segments of the nearby tail – seemed to be fused in place, meaning movement would be incredibly limited. That had to be the end of the fight, didn’t it? The walking tank couldn’t walk anymore, and most of what had made it so tank-like was now little more than a molten puddle on its back. Even the turrets had become collateral damage in the attack.

Even as Hiral watched, gouts of steam jetted out from every still-open segment between plates, like the whole thing was finally overheating. Overheating… or… exploding?

BAM, a shoulder plate shot into the sky with a high-pitched whistle and a trail of steam. BAM, BAM, BAMBAMBAMBAM, plates rocketed off one after another. Enough that Hiral had to Reject to the side to get out of the line of fire. Even Wallop and Romin – near the front of the construct, reeled back, heavy plates bouncing off the Rune-o’s thick hide as he turned to shield the others on the bridge level. Seena dove down behind the tank – along with Right – while Left swooped below the bridge on his Wings of Anella.

The reverse-shower of metal pieces went on so long, Hiral expected nothing left but a scorpion-shaped imprint in the bridge. To his surprise, while there was something scorpion-shaped, it was still an actual scorpion, this time without the heavy armor that had covered it from claw to tail. In place of the tank-like Mid-Boss they’d been fighting, this thing was little more than a skeletal version, rotating gears and pumping pistons moving within a metal cage holding it all together.

Pulleys and more pistons flexed on the legs, pushing the whole construct back up to its feet, while the previously heavy tail whipped around like it was little more than a chain with guns and a deadly spike on the end. A spike that screamed danger to Hiral’s mind as he got a better look at it. Whatever it was, it wasn’t made of the same material as everything else in the dungeon. Gone was the sheen of brass, and this thing looked more like it was actually a massive claw or fang. Worse, something had been etched across the surface, glowing an eldritch yellow…

That stinger was… gone, along with the rest of the Mid-Boss, the whole thing bolting forward so fast, even Hiral’s senses took a second to catch up to it. Closing the distance in the blink of an eye, the now-lighter Scorpinator slipped one claw around Wallop’s back foot, and the other up and under the Rune-o’s neck. It didn’t look like the blades had gotten any sharper – just significantly faster – and Wallop’s armor proved up to the task.

That was, until the stinger came down like lightning. Plating that had taken the entire party to pierce when they’d fought against the Reinforced Runeoceros Wild-Boss, and stood up to everything thrown Wallop’s way, did nothing to stop the tail strike. A surprised and pained bellow escaped Wallop’s heavy mouth as the stinger plunged into his flank, and he tried to shimmy sideways to escape the pain, nearly crushing the party sheltering beside him. Only the Mid-Boss’s grip on his leg and throat managed to keep him in place – inadvertently saving those hiding nearby – but the tail rose into the air a second time.

Blood dripped from every inch of the long stinger, showing just how deeply it had penetrated, though even the crimson liquid couldn’t mute the yellow script lurking beneath. Poised there for just a second – as if the scorpion wanted Wallop to know the strike was coming – the construct leaned its lower half forward, then struck again with the dangerous tail.

Held against his will at both ends, Wallop couldn’t do anything to avoid the attack, other than bellow in fear. His body tensed, though the muscles wouldn’t do anything more than his thick plates of armor would to stop the spike. Even as his free feet shuffled to pull himself out of the way, the Scorpinator didn’t let go, and Wallop’s eye widened as the stinger fell.

Fell, and got caught, a pair of semi-solid, solar gauntlet’s closing around the stinger, yellow light flaring between the fingers like it was insulted it’d been intercepted.

Perched – and half bent-over-backwards – on Wallops wide back, Right strained against the stinger just inches from his face. Purple and red flames flared down his right side, Meridian lines pulsing with the power it took to halt the strike. Even with his impressive strength – modified by the bonuses of his Meridian Lines and the Second-Skin of Amin Thett – it was clear by the look on his face, holding back the tail was taking everything he had.

Luckily, he didn’t have to hold long.

Thunder boomed – echoing through the room – as Yanily charged into the side of the Mid-Boss. The man’s Skyfall had still been on cooldown, so he’d leapt onto the edge of the railing, then used the Runes of Rejection in his boots to launch horizontally at the construct. And, without the thick armor protecting every inch of it, there was little in the way to stop Yan’s own terrible weapon.

Much like the stinger had done to Wallop, Yanily’s spear pierced straight into the side of the Scorpinator’s unprotected flank. Gears and metal collapsed around the spear driving more than two feet into the side of the construct, and the whole thing twitched sideways, finally letting go of the Rune-o. As soon as he was free, the companion twisted violently with his horned head, slamming into the claw that’d been holding him. The combined momentum of Yanily and Wallop shoved the Mid-Boss handily to the side.

Straight into Hiral’s own attack.

He could have hauled off and hit it again with his greatsword, but it was instead his other, empty hand he threw out. Yanily’s spear was drilling deep into the construct’s side, and the only thing preventing absolutely catastrophic damage was the fact the Scorpinator was moving with the blow. If it suddenly stopped – like say by hitting a fist-shaped blow of pure Rejection – that would allow the spearman to truly drive his weapon home.

So, that’s what Hiral did. Expansion mixed with Rejection, Breaking, Increase, and Impact, a fist as big as his whole body forming around his forearm. Then he did his best impression of Right, twisting at the hips and lashing out with a simple, straight punch.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The metal of the bridge groaned and screeched as the solar energy scraped across it before colliding with the sliding Scorpinator in a titanic collision. More Rejection flowed out of Hiral’s back while Attraction kept his feet on the floor, the combination making him nearly as immovable as Wallop could be.

And the Mid-Boss? Its legs pinched up against the side of its body as it bent around Hiral’s blow, the front of it continuing to slide forward while the rear stayed in place, only for Yanily’s spear to puncture in further. The bad news for the construct didn’t end there, either, its tail extended at an odd angle to keep that back end from bowing around Hiral’s punch.

Apparently, Right hadn’t let go of the stinger when Yanily had hit the Mid-Boss, and the long tail stretched back to where the double stood on Wallop’s back. Extended like it was, the appendage was now practically useless. And vulnerable.

Left, having completed his looping circle under and back around the bridge, swept in on wings of blue flame veined with red and black. In his hands, the double-bladed-sword version of the Daggers of En and Sath was almost seven-feet long, and a long, long stream trailed behind. The moment the speeding double swung the weapon around to strike the tail, the entire stream vanished in a heartbeat, catching up to the blade so quick it was nearly instantaneous.

Without the thick armor the Mid-Boss had been wearing before, the tail stood no chance against the powerful attack. Struck between the joints, the exploding blade completely severed the tail into what looked like two sections of chain. The pieces within the links that were responsible for the speed and movement of the appendage shot off in all directions in a shower of metal that clinked and rattled on the bridge.

From Wallop’s back, Right heaved that half of the tail up and around his head, before whipping it back down across the front half of the Mid-Boss. Yanily, on his side, had lost the momentum from his lunge, but he still had some time left on his Aspect. Planting his feet, the dragonman form’s muscles bulged as he leaned into pushing his spear as deep into the construct as he could. At the same time, lightning crackled along the shaft of the weapon, which could only mean the same thing was happening inside the Scorpinator as well.

Hiral, with the Mid-Boss now pinned between him and Yanily, swept the Greatsword of Amin Thett up and over to slam down in the construct’s back, closer to its tail. Thanks to the cage-like frame, his strike wasn’t quite as effective as Yanily’s piercing attack. The brass of the skeleton-like structure bent beneath the weight of his blow – and some of the parts inside ground against each other – but he didn’t do nearly as much damage as he’d expected.

“Stabbing works much better on this,” he said into the party chat.

“Then I’ve got just the thing,” Seena replied, solar energy pulsing off her. The next second, the ground beneath the Scorpinator glowed red, like a volcano getting ready to erupt under the bridge. Keenly aware things were turning against it, the Mid-Boss’s legs scrambled to try to get it away. Too bad Hiral and Yanily held it firmly pinned between them. Another blunderbuss blast to its face – eyes flashing red as Infuriate took hold – as well as Wallop charging up to slam his big foot down on one of the claws, and there just wasn’t any way it was going anywhere.

At least, not before whatever Seena was cooking up finished.

“One more second!” she said, solar energy pouring off her into the ground below. Really, it could only be one thing, and Hiral’s suspicion got proven true a heartbeat later. Spearing Roots seemingly made out of some kind of wooden-plasma erupted out of the ground. Dozens of them. Striking the Scorpinator from some very unpleasant angles below, the roots seemed to find every space between the structural cage that’d partially blocked Hiral’s sword.

The whole construct twitched as one spear after another drove into it – some of them bursting back out from the top – while the single, free claw thrashed uselessly at Wallop. Against a person, that limb would be like a very large pair of scissors specifically designed to cut people in half.

Against the Runeoceros? It didn’t even scratch the plating. Just one more reason that stinger was so impressive. I really want to take a look at it…

That would have to wait through, so many glowing red spikes protruding from the scorpion it looked like an oddly shaped hedgehog. Still, somehow, it lived.

Until Right leapt off Wallops back – the Mid-Boss’s tail in hand – and slammed the stinger straight into the Scorpinator’s head. One final twitch of the thing’s legs, and then it was still.

Congratulations. Achievement unlocked – It Won’t be Back.

Originally built to hunt those projected to become dangerous in the distant future, its heavy armor turned out to be a design flaw. Here, it was repurposed until you terminated it.

Please access a Dungeon Interface to unlock class-specific reward.

“And that’s that,” Seena said. “Sis, how you doing out there?”

“Wrapped up,” Seeyela said, appearing with a Bamf beside the group. “Those things weren’t Elite, but I think they were worth as much experience as everything else. If you guys think you can take on the Mid-Boss again safely, we might’ve found our farming spot.”

“Oh really?” Yanily asked. The man’s eyes glazed over like he was reading one of his status windows, and he started nodding. “Jeez, Seeyela, how many of them did you kill? It’s a solid wall of experience notifications. Well, experience in holding. Until we leave the dungeon, I guess?”

“Your domains,” Seeyela pointed at Yanily and Seena, “did a lot of the work. They didn’t one-shot the little scorps, but two or three hits was more than enough. My TRAPs were pretty damn effective too.”

“The Mid-Boss was way less dangerous with its armor on,” Seena said. “We could remove those cannons on its back somehow, then just let Wallop play with it while we farm little ones on Path of Butterflies. Thoughts?”

“You know I’m in,” Yanily said.

“I think we all are,” Hiral said. “After we finish this dungeon off.”

Seena looked over at Hiral and nodded. “Yup, we should get ready to move. I’m sure those researchers will be running along any second now.”

“While we’re waiting for them,” Hiral said quickly, looking at his double still standing on Wallop’s back. “Can I see that stinger?”

“You think you’ll be able to take it with us?” Seena asked him.

Hiral shook his head. “No, but there’s something etched into it – and I have a sneaking suspicion I know what it is.”

Seena turned to where the researchers would come from. “We’re good on time. You going to explode?”

“I… kind of hope so,” Hiral admitted with a shrug, Right hopping down and dragging the chain-like remains of the tail over to him.

“Here,” Right said, holding the tail out by the stinger. “Don’t stab yourself by accident.”

“Thanks for the sagely advice,” Hiral said, grabbing the tail by the base of the stinger. As soon as he had it in hand, everybody else moved away from him.

“We’ll keep the researchers back,” Seena said. “Gran, can you patch poor Wallop up? Sis, you want to go check the other door with Yan to make sure there aren’t any unfortunate surprises waiting until we’re not looking.”

Gran grunted an affirmative answer, walking over to the still-bleeding Runeocerous. “Stop being such a big baby. It’s not so bad.”

“We’re on the door,” Seeyela said. “Let’s go Yan.” Then she Bamf’d away, leaving the spearman just standing there.

“I really need to get a teleport,” Yanily said with a shake of his head, but then jogged after where Seeyela had gone.

Mostly alone at that point, Hiral turned his attention to the stinger. His initial assessment had been correct – it definitely wasn’t made of brass. Or any kind of metal. No, it had features of both a claw and a tooth, yet the material didn’t seem right for either of those. Shaking his head – the material of the stinger wasn’t important at the moment – he refocused on what was etched in its surface.

Yellow light seemed to bleed directly out of the stinger, but it wasn’t because of something stored inside – it was pure solar energy. Familiar solar energy. Just like the runes and double-helix on Hiral’s skin. He’d been right.

This was a rune etched into the Scorpinator’s stinger.