Bab 32: Chapter XXXII - Basilisk
As Marcus was opening the next sluice gate, the rest of the group was standing close to it chatting.
"So what does Battle Cry do?" Mawu asked.
<Battle Cry Lv 0 {0%}>
Unleash a loud yell that disrupts opponent's attack speed.
"Not a bad skill" Lisa replied.
"Why is it level 0 though?" Mawu asked.
Marcus approached the group and replied "That's because he created the skill, Overhead Slash was the same way when I created it and after using it 5 times it increased to level 1."
Everyone thought about and decided it made sense and Marcus said walking through the third sluice gate. "let's not waste anymore time, we'll explore this more after we have finished this dungeon."
Everyone followed behind him and quickly getting ahead of him as they took their positions. The landscape came straight out of a House of Horrors as everywhere one could see varying sizes of cobwebs and spiderwebs, some were even blocking the passageway.
The more terrifying part was the fact that no spiders could be seen. The party traversed the passageway as Artox slashed through the webs that were blocking their way going deeper through the sewers.
Everyone was on edge as not a sound could be heard and nothing was in sight. It didn't take long for a spider to suddenly drop from the ceiling landing on it's 8 legs and scurrying forward to attack the party.
Marcus was now trying to enact the skills he remembered from before his regression but no luck. It wasn't long until he joined Artox at level 26 and started receiving reduced experience, needing only three kills to hit the next level after Agora.
After slaying a dozen more spiders they reached the next boss room housing the last lever to the final boss. As everyone scanned the room nothing could be seen besides three small spikes protruding from the center of the ground.
"Alright, if any of you are fans of a really old classic about a wizard who was abused by his aunt and uncle after his parents died, you might enjoy this next boss" Marcus said, pointing to the three spikes in the center of the room.
"Buried under there is a gigantic snake, otherwise known as the Basilisk. It's a fairy easy boss and the only mechanism is to avoid it's prettification blast that it does every now and again. All you need to do is simply look away when it's about to open it's eyes.
Poison is back again, so be mindful of your health. As right after this boss is the final one, it's a back-to-back gauntlet." Marcus explained.
Everyone knew what they had to do and they all entered the lair together. It didn't take long for the entire battlefield to begin shaking as the three spikes began to twitch and before long disappear under the concrete.
The concrete began to crumple and snap apart as a path was created in a circle as the basilisk travelled beneath the surface. As the vibrations intensified, the ground began to crack harder as the basilisk's pointed head appeared from the ground.
It took time as the 6m snake coiled up around the hole in the ground and it's large tongue slitted out of it's closed mouth as it sensed the nearby prey, it's large curved fangs were protruding out of it's mouth as venom continually dripped out of them.
<Basilisk>
Level 25
5,500/5,500
[Double Shot] was immediately used by Mawu as Artox ran forward to engage using [Envoke] and [Battle Cry] one after each other taunting and debuffing the Basilisk.
The Basilisk hissed at Artox and was met with a [Wind Bolt] against it's head, causing it to recoil briefly allowing everyone to get a few good hits in the form of [Rummage], [Rush], and [Overhead Strike] before it had even taken an action.
After the great start to the fight, the Basilisk roared loudly as Marcus yelled for everyone to turn around. Not longer after, an ominous flash of grey light went through the area before dimming away and Marcus yelling "Engage!"
The Basilisk in a fit of anger opened it's jaws and in an attempt to swallow Artox whole, thankfully he was able to jam his shield against it's large fangs but it didn't prevent him from taking a nasty poison. Lisa followed up with [Whispering Winds] but it was nowhere near as effective as the venom that Artox received.
The Basilisk wasn't a particularly hard boss and was quite easy but Marcus was working hard to recreate one of his best skills from before and continually used it but he had no indication that he had successfully done it.
Marcus was snapped back into the fight when the Basilisk roared loudly, everyone turned around to avoid the petrifying gaze before turning back around and re-engaging the fight.
After another volley of skills, the basilisk was looking worn down, with deep gashes all throughout it's jet-black hide. Thanks to the Battle Cry it's lunges towards Artox were few and far between.
Marcus was pushing himself trying to recreate the skill as it would essentially guarantee an easy win against the future boss. He was trying to remember what it felt like. Despite his INT being fairly high despite not having any spells, his new body simply couldn't comprehend what it felt like to wield mana.
Soon after, the Basilisk succumbed to it's wounds falling to the ground with a loud thud.
Basilisk slain!
1261+1387 EXP
Silver Chest dropped!
Silver Chest dropped!
Mawu and Lisa were ecstatic as they had reached level 25, being only a level behind Marcus and Artox. Marcus meanwhile, was roughly halfway to 27, and Artox was about to hit 27.
Marcus was disappointed as no matter how hard he tried he couldn't create the skill he wanted. He inwardly cursed being unable to activate the skill since he had unlocked Overhead Slash.
Lisa dismantled the hulking corpse and Mawu opened both chests getting a dozen silver with each one and nothing else. 19% increased drop rate wasn't really helping lately but at least the party had a combined 3 Gold, despite the low count, they were certainly the richest adventurer's at this point.
Marcus dejectedly went ahead and harvested the moss concealing the level and opened the last Sluice Gate and as it creaked open lifting off the ground, a loud roar was heard sending chills down everyone's spines.
It didn't take long until an overpowering murderous aura could be felt as it permeated through the entire dungeon.
The overbearing killing intent hung over everyone and causing doubt in everyone. Marcus patted everyone on the shoulder to snap them out of their deep thoughts.
"Don't worry guys, we have been doing great and don't begin doubting our abilities. This is the final boss and if do our best, I know we will clear it!" Marcus smiled at everyone. Despite the aura clinging to their skin causing goosebumps in all members, they felt a calming effect from Marcus' words.
Artox was the first to respond "Yeah! If we can take that big stupid spider we can do anything!" He said balling his hand into a fist and pumping it with a large grin.
The sight caused the twins to chuckle and giggle to one another and nodded.
"Nothing is going to stop us!" Mawu added and Lisa threw her hand into the air and jumped up adding "Yeah, we're the best team around!"
The path between the two boss rooms was simply a large long declining ramp as a steady stream of puddled water flowed down. Unlike the rest of the dungeon, this part of the sewers was better lit with wall torches adorning the walls every few meters.
"Next up is the King of the Sewers, he has similar mechanics to every boss we've encountered up to this point. That means he can use a close range AoE attack from the first boss, do a long range AoE attack from the second boss, Incapacitate a party member for a short period of time from the third boss, and lastly has a Gaze attack similar to the fourth boss." Marcus explained as they neared the bottom of the ramp.
"You can think of these sub bosses as being the tutorial to the final boss, keep in mind that not all dungeons are designed this way. In addition, there is no set rotation (order in which bosses use their specials) so we all have to keep on our toes." Marcus continued as they approached the final barrier.
Sitting on a throne of was a crocodile of inconsistent proportions. It had a tiny crown tilted on it's head as a red cape hung from it's hulking shoulders. It was sitting in a position where one of its massive biceps was curled resting it's long head against it's fist. The other hand held a gigantic saber impatiently slamming it against the ground.
<King of the Sewers>
Level 25
8,000/8,000 HP
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone