Chapter 31

  A golf ball sized flame soared through the air, sailing straight between the eyes of one of the Osseosaurs. It sputtered out ineffectively. Mario cursed under his breath. “Flames are a no go.” The Osseosaur turned its attention from lazing in the grass to the direction that the fire had come from. A barely visible black scorch mark was the only indication it had been attacked.

  “Plan B then,” Danny said. This nest would not be a very good match for their group. Mario’s fire wouldn’t be of much use. Teeth and claws would be practically useless due to the Osseosaurs’ lack of flesh, and they were Ash’s and Indy’s only weapons. The only one who wasn’t overly affected was Danny. His staff would be even more effective against the skeletons without the extra padding of muscle and fat to dampen the blows. Looks like Danny would have to do some heavy lifting.

  Fortunately, this had been an eventuality that they had foreseen. Mario was well aware of the limitations of his abilities. Ash, Indy, and he would act as distractions. Focused gouts of flame should still be able to melt through the bone, and the two Bonds could shove and trip to cause chaos. With his staff and Purify, Danny had two methods to clean up the rest.

  A grating roar filled the surrounding area. The absence of vocal cords caused it to be shrill and screechy. The “injured” Osseosaur was warning the herd; twenty yellowed skulls with pale blue lights for eyes raised in alert. The group sprung to action.

  Another roar came from the opposite side of the nest. Earlier, Indy had slunk off. Now, he made himself known. The orange fox danced around bony forearms and nimbly avoided talons. His bushy orange tail flared across the Osseosaurs’ eyes, blinding them. The herd was split. And slow. Despite their overwhelming number, Indy had little trouble avoiding damage, even with his slight limp. One of the most effective maneuvers was jumping through the rib cages of the Osseosaurs. Not only did it cause them to hit each other, the absence of skin and organs made for convenient passageways for the small fox.

  Ash was also on distraction duty. She bounded out of the trees, howling. The wolf might have been smaller than the monsters, but like Indy, she was much more agile. A shoulder check here would cause one to stumble; a pull of the leg there would send another careening into one of its fellows. The two were a storm, disrupting more and more of the herd as time went on. With the rear portion of the herd occupied, Danny and Mario began to grind away at the rest.

  As two twin streams of flame bore into the skull of an Osseosaur, the bone melted and folded in on itself, true to Mario’s word. The blue lights faded from its eye sockets. Meanwhile, Danny was doing his best impression of a bull rider nearby. His unwilling partner bucked around. It would have been comical— was comical— until Mario had to throw himself aside to avoid getting trampled.

  “Watch where you’re going!” he yelled. The Osseosaur ride ended as Danny’s Purification ran its course. Danny fell to the ground, along with a now inanimate heap of bones.

  “Sorry,” Danny said. He rolled to the side. Where his head had been was now a two inch deep Osseosaur footprint. A crack rang out as wood snapped bone. Hopping atop the newcomer, Danny began the process again. Keeping his balance when the Osseosaur only had three legs was much easier. The battle was a marathon.

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  “Look at ‘em go,” Allen said. He was happy to get an easy mission for once. Everything had been a mad dash since the end of the Tutorial; this was probably the most relaxed he had been in a week. Danny steered his Osseosaur mount into one of its packmates. “Damn.” Allen laughed.

  “Glad you’re having fun.” Kelsie sneered. “It doesn’t seem all that impressive. We have taken out nests just as hard.”

  “Maybe. But they’re countered. The only one who isn’t negatively affected by the monsters’ constitution is the one with the staff,” Devin said.

  “Whatever you say…”

  “Kels, what has you so bitter?” Allen immediately regretted the question.

  “He’s Brotherhood, Allen. And not just any Brotherhood, he’s the second in command! It’s almost as bad as if Chris himself waltzed in here, and are you mad? Even a little angry? No! You’re complimenting him. So yeah, I am bitter.” An Osseosaur skull rolled next to the group, marking the fall of another of the herd. Kelsie kicked it. She tried not to wince when her toes met bone.

  “Alright, enough of that.” Allen brought everyone back to focus. “They’ve done well, but look at them. They’re exhausted. Now, comes the big baddie. Get ready to help.” Not even Kelsie commented. This was the most dangerous part of any operation. The Scouts had already lost a handful of good people to boss monsters. “Here it comes.”

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  Although he had started by primarily using Purify, Danny wound up needing every tool in his arsenal. Qi blasts would throw monsters off balance, his staff would break bones to allow for easier Purification, but sometimes he just ended the fight by cracking a skull. Even his Necklace saw plenty of use. In fact, Danny had discovered a new way to utilize the piece of equipment. As long as the amulet part of the Necklace was touching them, Danny could heal another person without them wearing it. He had to be close enough to touch them, and both of them would have to remain still, but it was invaluable at keeping them light on their feet. It wasn’t all good though.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  His Qi reserves were near empty. They wouldn’t be able to rely on blasts or the Necklace during the boss fight. Even with the healing, all four of them had been through the ringer. They were exhausted, which made the incoming creature even more intimidating.

  Two javelins of bone protruded from its brow. Unlike the other Osseosaurs, the boss had a solid frill that framed its head, beginning at the neck. Its skeleton was noticeably thicker, and was a bleached white as opposed to the aged yellow of its kin. [Level 60 Lichosaurus] The green lights in its eye sockets made Danny sick to his stomach when he looked at them. But he couldn’t look away. The way they danced back and forth was so… intriguing. A mystery waiting to be solved. If he could just get a little closer…

  A roar snapped Danny out of his trance. Reverberations of dozens of fossilized voices filled the air. Ephemeral green flames danced on the ground and sought the piles of bones of the fallen Osseosaurs. And disappeared.

  “What the hell was that?” Mario shouted.

  In answer, the bones rattled and creaked, pulling themselves back together again. Unsteadily, the Osseosaurs rose again. Except for the ones that Danny had Purified. But that seemed of little consequence as all of their hard work was erased before their eyes. All the pain, energy, and Qi gone. Just like that. Scorched and shattered skulls glared at Danny and his group like vengeful spirits. Danny really wished he had budgeted his Qi better.

  “That’s our cue,” Allen hollered. “Kelsie, focus on the big one. Devin, help our friends deal with the littles. Kirk, cause some trouble. I’ll get our resident dino rider to the boss.”

  Each member of the squad took to their tasks without delay. Kelsie’s arrows did little more than distract the boss, but combined with Kirk’s illusions, the monster seemed unable to discern where the attacks were coming from. Devin was a whirlwind. He was untouchable as he danced through the skeletal herd, but his blades were as ineffective as Ash’s and Indy’s natural weapons. He settled for bludgeoning the bones with the spines of his blades.

  Arriving beside Danny, Allen said, “Hey, can you work your magic on the big one?”

  “Maybe. I’m running on fumes right now,” Danny answered.

  “It’s our best shot.” A flanged mace came into existence in his hand. “C’mon.” Allen swung the weapon viciously and turned an oncoming Osseosaur’s jaw into splinters. “Are you coming, or not?”

  Danny closed his open mouth. “Sorry. Lead the way.”

  Allen hmphed, but Danny caught a glimpse of a smile before he had turned completely away. The pair carved their way through the monsters. It took everyone from the two squads working together to get Danny to the Lichosaurus. Ash tackled one of the Osseosaurs aside when it got past Allen. Another was distracted by a flash of flame. When they were almost there, both Allen and Danny were engaged with their own fights. Seeing an opportunity, one of the Osseosaurs charged like a bull, looking to gore Danny. Inexplicably, it careened off to the side. Kirk’s influence. The herd thinned. Allen and Danny made it to their goal.

  Mace crashed into the forelimb of the Lichosaur. Allen grunted as the shock of the blow rang through his arm. “Hard target, I won’t be much use.”

  “It’s fine,” Danny said, “just keep it busy.”

  Danny dodged under the tail whipping towards him. He sprang into the air and clambered onto the back of the monster, using the ribcage as footholds. Having refrained from using any Qi on the way there, Danny hoped he would have enough in the tank to Purify. He reached out with his remaining reserves and began to work at the Corruption. There was more in this monster than there had been in the others. Danny had expected that. It was the boss, after all, but the well of power that was contained within the Lichosaurus made him nervous.

  Like its lesser kindred, the Lichosaurus began to buck. Wildy, it threw its body around, seeking to toss the unwanted passenger. Danny held on and focused his mind on assaulting the monster from the inside out. Allen could not do much except watch. Kelsie stopped firing, not wanting a stray arrow to hit Danny.

  Danny was a practiced sport in dinosaur riding at this point. Despite the added strength of the boss, his grip held firm. Unlike the Osseosaurs, however, the boss monster stopped bucking after a handful of failed attempts. The lights in its eyes intensified. Then, green flames engulfed its body. Agonized screams poured from Danny’s mouth as his arms and legs were singed. Tears fell from his eyes and the excruciating pain. He choked on his own spit when he saw the flesh on his hands bubble and blacken. Consumed by the torment, Danny almost missed the voice.

  “It’s not real. It’s just—” and then a shout. In the distance, Kirk fell to the ground holding his head. But his message had been received. There was no fire. Danny remembered staring into the green lights. He clenched his eyes shut. Battling through the agony, Danny continued to Purify. The screams never stopped. He kept screaming and screaming until the screams sounded inhuman. Danny coughed and went hoarse, but the inhuman screaming didn’t stop. Then, Danny realized that the flames were gone. His limbs were unburned, whole. He stood atop a pile of bones that could no longer hold their shape on their own. Two green lights winked out.

  A hand clapped onto Danny’s back. He nearly jumped into the air. “Whoa, easy. You okay?”

  Danny stared blankly at Allen for a moment. The man’s brows began to furrow and Danny realized he was waiting for an answer.

  “Yeah. I’m– I will be fine.”

  “Everything was going good, but then you started losing it. I thought you were dying up there and then Kirk… Kirk!” Allen turned and started running over to the Illusionist. Devin was already helping him to his feet. In a haze, Danny began to stumble toward them. He was glad Kirk was alive. He should talk to him about… what exactly?

  A large furry thing came up beside him. He used it for support when he tripped over a bone. It felt familiar. Ash. Someone else approached him. He knew them. What was their name?

  “You don’t look so good. You gonna make it?”

  “Mario,” Danny said, “that’s what it was.”

  “What? Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know.” Some of the fogginess was beginning to dissipate. “I think I just need some time.”

  Mario assisted Ash in escorting Danny to Allen’s squad. They walked through the bone-strewn graveyard in an anxious silence. When they finally got past all the remains Danny said, “I don’t want to do that again.”

  Mario let out a relieved chuckle. “Me either.”