Treasure Hound

Looking back down the way we came, I see the other group studiously collecting webs that did in fact turn out to be objects we could harvest for spider's silk. Their progress was obviously slowed by the farming which looked like it needed to be done with proper cutting tools or swords. However, they were still close to as far down their tunnel as we were.

Returning my attention to the next group of mobs along the way, I use the same flanking familiars tactic as before to mow our way through the next group. After that, though, I set the pace at a casual walk while the others let their skills cool down the last stretch of corridor to the trio of berserkers. This time, though, I changed the roles once again.

"Ivana, work with Cweeper to support Hermes while he tanks the one on the right," I say after stopping about fifteen yards shy of the aimlessly shambling trio. "Go, tank the one on the left with Missy and Nirvana. Missy has Soothing Hands, right? Don't hesitate to pass it off to me if you need to get healed. Oleander, sit this one out and prepare some of the alchemy works for later. Hermes," I add with a smile to my awaiting familiar, "Take both of its legs and lead it away from the group then lead it back so Ivana and Cweeper can shoot it in the face."

Were it anybody else I would have worried about sending them on such a specific mission. Even Go who relied too heavily on his natural tanking from reality was something of a risk while soloing a berserker. However, Hermes had the highest level of anyone in the party at forty-four and a skill specially made for breaking bones and removing limbs.

Even if the berserkers had shins as thick as my thighs, it should only take a two or three guillotines before one broke.

Hermes merely nodded and started running, signaling for the rest of us to get moving before he ended up with the aggro from all three berserker. However, Go and I both cried out or roared to provoke the enemies right before Hermes struck. Then I secured the aggro of my target with a quick three-foot Firebolt.

My Firebolt splashed into the broken mail and plates of the berserker's ragged upper body armor, spreading further and further about its entire torso as the rest of the stream piled on. By the time the flames burnt out, twelve percent of health had faded away and Go had secured his own aggro with a thrown heavy iron 'star'. The throwing stars Go liked to make and use were each three pounds apiece and he wore five of them on the front of his battleaxe's baldric.

The damage from one star on these much higher leveled enemies was still a whopping six percent, which was enough to secure the aggro.

While I engaged mine with a quick series of circling sidesteps and slashes to build up my combo count, Hermes was already chipping away at either leg of his target. While Cweeper and Ivana both used Air Cannon to bolster their attacks. With the high-powered critical head shots in comparison to Hermes' leg attacks, the three of them managed to keep the aggro confused between them so the berserker never even managed to fight back

Go was not having the same kind of luck even though Missy and Nirvana sustained simple fire attacks that kept the area brightly lit. However, even though he was putting more effort into literally dodging every other attack he was still taking almost every other attack. By the time his enemy was brought to half health under the part-second attack rate between his two weapons and constant burning, God was down to thirty percent.

And running toward me.

My combo count was already up to nine and the berserker's health was just above sixty percent. I had only been grazed once for forty Health Points, which was one hell of a graze, but I was more than capable of accepting the baton. In fact, I leaped back to meet Go and slap him in the chest with a quick First-Aid. Then I spun around into his berserker with Slash.

Following Slash with a 360 Edge that triggers a single pair of Geist blades, the berserker's health was drained below forty percent and the aggro was secured. Then I jumped up as high as I could almost ten feet straight up in the air. As I had expected, my own berserker was taking full advantage of the distraction and slashing down and across from behind.

Narrowly avoiding this almost literal stab in the back, I lean backward into a Flying Guillotine that smashes me straight down into my berserker's chest. Their health dropped from just over sixty to just under fifty percent. They were even smashed backward into the ground under my increased falling force.

Literally bouncing forward off of them as they fell almost at the same time as Hermes' target who had finally lost one leg under the knee, I front flip into a second Flying Guillotine that smashed the blade of my sword down into the skull of Go's berserker. Just like my berserker, this one was thrown back with visibly fracturing bones.

[Flying Guillotine Leveled]

[+20XP]

[Swordplay Leveled]

[+30XP]

[Acquired Perk: Flip Specialist]

[+150XP]

[Flip Specialist: After figuring out that you do not combine the attacks together but let the attacks flow from one to the next with sheer physics, you have become more specialized in acrobatic combat and combat skills. Flipping attacks now do 10% more damage and are 10% faster. After training your body to such an extent, being a Flip Specialist also brings you +10 Agility and +10 Strength. +15 Imperial Reputation]

Since Soothing Hands was a contact-required skill for healing other people like First-Aid, Go was only now reaching eighty-percent health when his berserker was thrown to the ground just a few yards away with little more than twenty-five percent of their health. He immediately ran from his familiar and leaped onto the skull of his berserker. Chopping away.

[+120XP]

Freed up while my own opponent was just now standing upright, I simply take two running steps forward before leaping up into a 360 Edge that knocks them back down. Then, I fell into a Flying Guillotine that smashed apart their skull and the last thirteen percent of their health.

[+120XP]

Hermes, following orders, was simply walking away from his crawling opponent.

Cweeper and Ivana soon finished it with one more arrow apiece to its already fragmenting skull.

[+120XP]

Then, like magic, the previous dead ending corridor wall burned with dark purple flames that made the middle area of the bricks disintegrate away. I could only wonder if the others would experience the same special effect or if they got to farm webs to clear another path. Then, thinking of the webs, I turn and walk over to a nearby sections of alcoves bodies rested.

"What are y- DON'T- what the hell, man?!" Go starts to ask, yell, and then simply freaks out as I grab one wrapped up body and drag it out of the alcove. The body unwrapped of its own accord as it fell, letting raggedy leathers fall apart as linens simply burst into dust. The body within was some dried and withered emaciated corpse that had been entombed with a single ruined weapon and piece of armor.

Before the body and equipment faded away like everything else, I just barely had time to see that the piece of armor was a portion of broken breast plate. Then it was all simply gone as if it never existed.

[Acquired Ancient Hide Scraps]

[Acquired Ancient Silk Dust]

[Acquired Ancient Steel Scrap x2]

[Acquired Gold x3]

[Upgraded Title: Treasure Hunter to Treasure Hound]

[+75XP]

[Treasure Hound: Rare. Passive. Not only do you get lucky and find the goods, you've figured out that the goods are literally everywhere. All it takes is a clever nose to sniff them out. Permanent +10 to Luck. +15 Imperial Reputation]

Simply from the fact that I received notifications from my actions the others needed no further urging but simply wandered off to start dragging bodies out of their final resting places. Then even the familiars were doing it. Of course, not all of the bodies liked to be disturbed.

The first time it happened, Ivana's shrieking voice was still echoing even after Go had smashed the simple level twenty 'Disturbed Zombie'. Then, after every handful of bodies per person, everybody else got some free experience as well. These kills, however, did not seem to be shared with the rest of the party which was kind of sad since they were forty-five apiece.

Once we had returned from the T after emptying every alcove in the cavern, we acquired more than a hundred of each material and several hundred gold apiece. The lesser undead even stacked together to finally raise Geist's strength again. Then we we moved on to the new tunnel.

Like the last, the walls here were lined with sections of rows of alcoves. However, much more of these were empty than they were in the last tunnel. As well, the enemies and tunnel had changed a bit.

The tunnel was now gently curving around and to the right where it would probably eventually meet back up with the others. The enemies we could see were three groups of three undead scattered along the bending tunnel. They were two soldiers and one berserker per group, just like the first berserker introduced in the dungeon.

"Same as before," I say while gesturing for Go and Ivana to spread out to either wall with the familiars. "Hermes, just go for the kill then sweep the legs from mine. I'll be attacking high."

"Same. Shit. Happen," Hermes says blankly before leading the way once again, setting the pace at a quick jog with his armored tree dragon steed.

Even as we all entered combat, Go actually asked, "How well can Hermes speak? I've heard him talk all of three times, now."

Because I was in the middle of a Flying Guillotine that pushed the berserker back away from its minions, I could not exactly answer. However, once I landed and lunged in with a simple Slash, I call out, "Those. Three. Words! 360 Geist!"

Raising my combo count to twelve with two heavy side slashes from spinning and a storm of ghostly blades, I once again lunge in to pursue the staggering behemoth but use a Force Strike that finally knocks them down to the ground. As well, their health was dropped close to forty percent. The others were already finishing their fights and Hermes was simply standing aside watching me.

Free to do as I pleased, I jumped up into the air before slowly leaning into a Flying Guillotine right before landing on the berserker's chest. Midnight Hauntings fractured straight down their body from forehead to pelvis while unleashing three trailing Geists that tore apart their ruined armor. They now had just over twenty percent of their health.

Two Force Strikes was all it took to end the fight and yet another undead soul was fed to my sword.

[+120XP]

After that we switch to a heavier rushing tactic, using me as the sole tank to group the enemies together and then turn them around to let everyone nail the berserker in the back with a physical ranged attack before attacking freely. Just that first ranged barrage was enough to drain almost forty percent of the berserker's black health bar. Then magic was splashed on.

[+240XP]

Then not even two minutes later.

[+240XP]

As we started rounding the bend after another sweep of alcove looting, though, we came to an eighty-yard stretch of curving tunnel with two pairs of berserkers spread forty yards apart. Accompanying each berserker, though was a new undead mob that was enshrouded numerous layers of still whole Ancient Silk. Their tag identified them as a level fifty 'Silk Sorcerer.

After spotting these new enemies that were obviously superior than the level forty-two berserkers, I quickly said, "I'll run and grab them all and then throw the sorcerer to you guys. Fire is probably his nightmare, so give it to him. Nuke 'em."

After a brief round of acknowledgment, we all just took off running at the first set of enemies. Leaping up and to the right to target a berserker first, I whip around into a forced 360 Geist that sends the berserker staggering several steps back. Then, passing over the head of the sorcerer, I redirect myself into attacking the other berserker with a Flying Guillotine that sends them staggering off to the side.

Landing in the wake of numerous lashing whips striking at me in the air, I channel fire element into my sword and then use Force Strike with an underhanded swing to send the smaller undead flying backward with a burst of cindering heat and transparent flames. To my team. They immediately responded in a unified volley of every kind of fire attack they had.

Surprisingly, the Silk Sorcerer barely even made it to the end of all that fire Damage Over Time before cindering away. I had barely even started to attack the closest berserker!

[+175XP]

Easy experience for shattering a glass tank!

Then I simply used Force Strike to crack the knee of the standing berserker on the side before using Force Strike to once again thrust up into their head. With the sword still crunched though their chin and face, I turn and dragged the sixty-percent-health to the ground. "Nuke," I state calmly but loudly, turning and dashing to meet the charging chop of the other berserker.

While I hopped up to meet their falling sword with a leaping 360 Edge, the others all unleashed another barrage of varied but equally powerful attacks. The stronger fire attacks of our proper mages, besides Hermes, were still on cool down. Like me, Hermes' skills seemed dictated by an undetermined amount of stamina as well as an above-average mana cost.

Most mages were able to spam one or a few elements they had spent their time training and specializing in but only after lowering the cools or casts for their magic. As well, maintaining a certain level of balance between Intelligence and Willpower allowed one to cool and cast at naturally better speeds. Giving yourself too large of a mana pool or making yourself too resistant to mana would cost the other stat and mess up the balance of 'magical stat natures'.

[120XP]

By the time I had gotten the second berserker down to half health the others hand already obliterated the other. Now, I simply forced it into a kneel with a Force Strike to the knee before leaping back and out of the way. While their attacks might not damage me, I could still block attacks from connecting or early detonate an AOE spell.

[+120XP]

*