The temperature suddenly became much warmer, and my footing became much less stable as the dirt beneath my feet was replaced with loose sand. Within seconds a group of five Uruks was upon us, and I was able to test out my new great axe.
I buried my axe into the first Uruk’s chest, killing it instantly. The second Uruk swung a mace at my head, and I ducked out of the way. I yanked my axe out of the first Uruk and used it to violently kill the second one. Looking down at my work, I had to appreciate the brutal efficiency of the great axe. It was a slow weapon, and it was tough to maneuver in combat, but it killed the Uruks in a single hit.
[URUKS (5) KILLED! +150 EXP, +150 CREDITS]
Working on a hunch, I drew my laser pistol and fired it straight into the air. The red lance flew upward for several hundred feet before it struck and dissipated against some invisible forcefield. A moment later, I swiftly fired four shots in the four cardinal directions. Based on the collision patterns of the lances, I could tell that this [Lesser Dungeon] was bound within a square that was about six hundred feet on each side.
“Huh,” Claire said thoughtfully. “It’s like the bounded area of a video game.”
“This place is smaller than it looks,” Liz said. “Where are all the monsters coming from? This beach isn’t big enough to hold all of them.”
We moved forward, killing waves of low-level Uruks and Diluvians as we walked. Eventually, we found a stone disc hidden behind a sand dune. Inscribed on the disc was a circular geometric pattern that flashed white every few seconds, causing a large two-dimensional portal to appear above it. Every time a new portal appeared, several new low-level monsters stepped through. With every new instance of the portal, it opened up to a new room that was filled with weak monsters.
Surrounding the portal, there stood four inert stone statues. They were sculpted to look like large, ten-foot-tall men wielding oversized stone swords. The markings on the stone statues were similar to the ones on the disc, and there was a regularity to the markings that suggested a deliberate intent within those interlocking lines and circles.
Behind the stone disc, we could see a small forest of palm trees and healthy green grass. With my high [Perception], I could see that many of the trees bore brightly-colored fruit that closely resembled cantaloupes or pears. The sight of the fruit made my mouth water, but I shook my head and refocused on the issue at hand.
The four of us peaked out from behind a sand dune as the portal periodically shifted open and allowed new enemies to enter the [Lesser Dungeon].
“We found the spawn point,” Carlos whispered.
“One way or another, we need to destroy that portal,” I said.
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“As soon as we get close, those statues are going to attack us,” Liz said, pointing toward the stone statues. “Couldn’t we just destroy the portal we already went through?”
“No, that’s impossible,” I said, though I couldn’t be sure where that information came from. “That’s a [Permanent Portal]. The Earth could be completely destroyed, and it would remain undamaged. The only way to remove that portal is to find the [Dungeon Core] and bring it back to Earth.”
“Epsilon’s pretty useful, isn’t he?” Carlos said, smirking.
“The knowledge comes in bursts,” I said. “Either way, we need to fight those statues. Come on.”
We moved forward until we were about thirty feet away from the stone circle. The stone statues did not move, even when we came that close to the portal-spawning circle. The low-level monsters kept attacking us, but Carlos was able to dispatch them with minimal effort.
[URUKS (16) KILLED! +480 EXP, +480 CREDITS]
[DILUVIANS (23) KILLED! +345 EXP, +345 CREDITS]
[EXP TO NEXT LEVEL: 3,565]
[TOTAL CREDITS: 7,505?]
I began firing at one of the stone statues, and small bright spots of heated rock appeared where the lances made contact. The statues’ material was clearly second-generation, and the weak attacks from our laser pistols had little effect. I was suddenly uncomfortably reminded of our recent fight with the Bull of Heaven.
The stone statues began to move, and all four of them turned toward us in unison. The others attacked the statues with a fusillade of laser fire, but they seemed utterly unbothered by the attacks.
[NEW ENEMY DISCOVERED: STONE GOLEM]
Our laser pistols were essentially useless against these higher-order enemies, so I drew my Esotech pistol from its holster and aimed it at one of them. I fell to one knee in order to stabilize my shot, and, once I was confident my sights were level directly at a golem’s head, I pulled the trigger.
I slid back in the sand, but I was still able to remain upright as the recoil pushed me backward. When the bright beam of white light dissipated, I saw the mangled form of that golem continue to lumber toward me. Half of its head was missing, and its arm had fallen into the sand, but it continued forward.
These stone golems were far stronger than the Uruks or Diluvians. If an Elder Sign round wasn’t enough to take one of them out, then I didn’t have enough bullets to kill all of them.
Carlos grimaced as he returned his laser pistol to its holster. With a forced smile on his face, he said, “Hey, Vincent. Do you think your new skill will be enough to handle these guys?”
After quickly reloading my Esotech pistol, I held it and the remaining three Elder Sign rounds out toward Claire. “Take these. If you see an opening where you can hit the golems without hitting Carlos or me, take it.”
“O-okay,” Claire said, nervously eyeing the four approaching golems.
For the second time, Carlos and I began walking forward, heading toward a fight that was far beyond our level. I cast my great axe aside and put my body into a boxing stance with my fingers splayed outward. Against the Bull of Heaven, I was not confident in our chances of victory. This time, however, I was excited for the fight.
