Chapter 25

  You’ll Die A Coward’s Death

  They were fast, insect-like beasts the size of a tiger or a small bear, only with way too many legs. Eric grimaced and thought, Great, bugs… So much fun with all of their creepy, little stabby-feet. And, they’re gonna get here before the others are up. That’s just fantastic. I’ll have to use more mana than I’d like for this.

  They came rushing toward him in what looked like a sloppy arrow formation, one at the head and others flanking it from a couple of meters behind. If it had been alone, then another casual bash with his shield would do just fine, but with a pack of beasts in his face and his party not at his side, he would have to use something he hadn’t had the opportunity to try out yet.

  Eric ran forward to face them head on and buy his team the time they would need to join him.

  As he approached the point of collision with what the system called a Skitterbug Scout, he flexed the muscles of his shield arm, pulling it in close to himself. He rammed it into the bug with everything he had, and he activated his untested skill.

  Reality warped around Eric’s shield, and as he dug his feet into the ground, the rest of the insects caught up to their leader. His shield exploded into duplicates that launched out to either side of him, the 10 mana draining from the use of his Shield Wall ability. Eric gritted his teeth against the force of the five skitterbugs that slammed his shield in near unison, and with a shout that scraped at his throat, he activated a shield bash that was mirrored across a wall of shields.

  A bolt of electricity shot past his right shoulder, going over the shields and throwing a bug into the tunnel wall. It was dead before it hit the ground.

  Looking back at the enemies he’d bashed, he could see that he’d already dealt some severe wounds, but his wall of shields was already collapsing back in on itself. Both ManaSniper and Mark must have arrived first, because another bolt came from over his left shoulder to take care of a second bug, which left three enemies coming back towards him.

  Heavy footsteps thundered from behind his left side and he knew that fur-covered backup had arrived. He focused on blocking the center skitterbug with his shield, while he slashed out with his sword towards the one on his right.

  A blur of brown-furred mass crashed through the clicking insect on his otherwise undefended left side, and he’d never been so happy to have Doggy in the party.

  One final stab finished off the enemy to the right, as a thorn-covered vine shot up through the earth to grip the bug in front of him in a death grip that yanked its struggling body to the ground. Dozens of small cuts drained the life from the creature in a matter of seconds.

  His plan had worked. He’d managed to hold them off, his group had come in to wipe the floor, and none of them had been injured.

  Just as he was about to check out his XP gained in his system notifications, Doggy let out a high-pitched trilling groan.

  The capybeara stumbled back towards the group, and Beatrice ran forward to meet him. As she started to perform a quick scan of his body, he turned to let them all see the stinger that had been left behind by the skitterbug he’d defeated. It was buried deep into his side, and a clear, watery liquid dripped from the snapped-off base of the shiny black chitinous spear.

  Eric paled at the length of the object that might have pierced him if not for Doggy.

  “Oh, crap! They had freakin’ stingers. Loot! We need you, it looks like some kind of poison or something,” Warden shouted out to J.D.

  After having run to catch up, J.D. was too late to join the fight, but he was close enough to rush to their side. “Ah, not poison. It’s a venom,” he clarified.

  “Really? Is that important right now? Just help him!” she shouted in his ear.

  J.D. ran a hand over his stubble-covered jaw and said, “Yeah, sorry. On the count of three, pull out the stinger.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “How can I help?” asked Eric

  “Just keep trying to soothe him,” she replied. Her eyes, filled with focus, never left her beast companion.

  When she grabbed a hold of the jagged base of chitin, it felt smooth to the touch, but she could feel the grip of barbs holding it in place within Doggy’s muscle tissue.

  “Okay, I’m ready. I’m sorry, baby, this is gonna hurt,” she said to her companion.

  Eric felt Doggy trying not to tense beside them as the countdown started.

  Loot’s voice called out, “Three. Two. One!” and she pulled. Her stomach twisted at the feeling of barbs catching as the sting broke loose and left an open wound in the capybeara’s side. Chirping whines mixed into a deeper roar, and Doggy spun away to hide his injury. The heavy mass of the beast flung Eric aside.

  She said, “You have to let him look at it, buddy. He’s gonna make it better.”

  Reluctantly, he complied. While Doggy harrumphed in response, he didn’t fight when Loot walked around to get another look at the wound.

  With the spike of chitin out of the way, he took a moment to analyze the situation, and said, “I’m going to need to use one ability to get rid of the venom and then another to heal him afterward. It will only take a minute.”

  Beatrice gave Doggy a gentle hug and scratched behind his ears to help calm him. That seemed to help, if only a small amount.

  Loot’s activation of Remove Toxin pooled the venom into a glob that floated out into the glow of his waiting palm. He turned his hand over to drop it with a splash against the ground. His hand was still shining as he placed it on Doggy’s side and let healing energy pass through himself into the capybeara.

  Before he could make sure that the healing went as it should, Doggy spun away from him. The big furball moved to place the spot where a small patch of fur was now missing in front of Beatrice. She shook her head, but she was smiling as he rubbed against her hand, his attempt at forcing scritches on the freshly healed skin.

  “Oh, do you have an itch now, buddy?” she asked with a chuckle.

  “I’m glad he’s feeling better,” Loot said with a smile.

  Beatrice nearly rushed at him, arms wide, for a hug, saying, “Right? Thank you so mu-” As quickly as she’d moved to embrace him, she’d stopped in her tracks.

  Eric watched her pointed, elven ears twitch, and her brother stepped forward to stand by her side, both of them looked down the tunnel. He turned to look in the same direction they had, and a heartbeat later, he could hear it, too.

  Like before, it grew louder, echoing through the rock of the cave system as its source drew closer. However, if the sound they had heard from the number of skitterbugs that attacked them already was a wave crashing upon the shore, this was the sea.

  Stabitha stood at her cousin’s side, moving forward ever so slightly to place herself in front of him. Now the five members of their party, and Doggy, braced themselves lined up in a row staring down the coming storm. A crack of lightning struck behind them, and they each spun to see more bolts being thrown. Mark was assaulting the ceiling between their two parties, sending large chunks of stone crashing to the ground.

  “What are you doing? You’re destroying our exit!” Sir BlackDagger screamed at the other party’s leader.

  Over the sounds of crumbling debris, as the path was quickly becoming blocked off, Mark shouted back, “We aren’t dying today. We’ll tell the king where to find your corpses and the goblin tunnels. That’ll give him a head start on his kobold.”

  “You cowards!” Stabitha screamed out as the last pieces of rubble fell.

  “Eyes forward!” Eric commanded.

  He thought, Take control of the situation, keep everyone together, and do what it takes or die to save your friends.

  The orders continued with him saying, “We’ve practiced and trained, fought and ground out XP, been tested and survived, and we will survive this. Do you all hear me?”

  A round of voices called out in confirmation.

  “Form up, diamond formation, Loot in the center. David, you take the back and blast at range.”

  ManaSniperBob nodded. “I’ve got plenty of bolts in me. Let’s do this.”

  “Stabitha, take right and keep your cousin alive,” Eric said to their personal axe tornado, and moved on as she nodded in reply.

  “Beatrice, take left with Doggy, and make sure he knows to protect J.D. at all costs. And everyone, watch the stingers. That would be extra trouble Loot doesn’t need on his plate. Conserve mana as much as possible, this could be the longest battle we’ve faced.”

  I’ll die fighting if I have to. I will never leave others behind. Addy was right, Mark, you are a coward, and you’ll die a coward’s death.

  Closer now, they’d become visible as a wave of shimmering chitin in the shadowy distance. They had only moments before the enemy was upon them, but he could feel his team behind him. In the last heartbeats before the crushing sea of enemies fell on them, he thought, They trust me, and they have my back. So, I will be their shield.

  As the swarm of skitterbugs neared, Sir BlackDagger stepped forward to meet them.