76 Despot's Denial

'Warriors are prepared, casters are set up and rituals prep prepped. Souls are set for fodder duty. Humans will not be getting past my floor without bleeding for it. Core has been honorable and offered strength, I shall prove my worth as apology for past ignorance.' thinks the Despot as it [aces in its small throne room, the throne made up of dungeon stone twisted into the form of skeletons and bones. Scritcher warriors continue to spar, their weapons swishing through the air as the few casters continue painting runework into the floor.

"Overlord sir! We're as prepped as we can get at this point. The weaker warriors are being wiped quickly in the corridors but the Mistress Guzzle has sent the remainder of her colony to bolster us as well as the mushroom spawn from Fraz. I've set up my most powerful spell to activate and you know the passphrase for it. Good luck and make them pay for it!" babbles Narghal as he bows to the Despot, each boss creature showing a nervous energy as the weaver moves further into the dungeon to begin prepping the core room for invasion.

"Strange one he is. Always smart but now as strong as me. Right though, must make these meats pay." mumbles the Despot as he looks at his axe once again, thoughts of violence simmering behind its shining black eyes. Lifting the axe he marvels at the handle made of elven bone, the ivory shining as it leads up to a serrated blade, the edges glowing a chilling red as the last bladed tooth extends out in a hook meant to pull and tear muscle.

"Let the meat come. I shall prove our worth." Whispers the Despot as it stares at the boss rooms entrance.

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"Gotta be close now right Nissa? Damn dungeon only has three floors and all we've found were that mimic room and the scritcher whelps." Grumbles Bertram as he glances down at the corpse of a massacred scritcher, its thin body shattered as more flesh than skin is seen on the surface. Behind the bandit leader stands the frustrated Anissa as she glares from the corpse to the leaders back, her fingers sliding against the blades at her sides before she sighs and moves forward again. Following after her is the stitched mage Stein as well as a frail looking woman, her skeletal figure shaking like a leaf as she clutches as luminescent wand in her hands.

"Should be close boss, then we kill the boss and get the core. Head out of this region and try to set up someplace else." Whispers Anissa as she glances around the corner and nods, motioning for everybody to follow as they follow the corridors. After walking for several more minutes the group finally reaches a large door, its wood stained crimson as a mural of pain and torment surrounds it.

"Boss room, lets do this." Chuckles Bertram as he reaches the handles and pulls, Anissa's voice in the background startled before the entranceway is filled with light. As the smoke clears a charred but still robust Bertram stands in place, his arm still out as if holding a door while a smile appears on his face.

Anissa and Stein both brush debris from their forms before glancing back at the frail woman's form, a large piece of crimson wood from the door impaling her thin throat as she weakly gasps her final breaths.

"Healers dead, you ok boss?" Sighs Anissa as she flings a shard of wood at the struggling woman's forehead, a quiet thunking sound followed by a trickle of blood flows from her forehead as she goes still.

"Meat! You trespass on our home! You betray the oath you made! You transgress against our people! You send both men and monster to defile this sacred place! But we have taken the bone man apart, we have flayed the trolls flesh to ribbons, and now we shall conquer your pitiful remnants and lets the dungeon dole out its justice! For we are the many! We are those you have slaughtered on the outside for to long! We are those you have enslaved and abused! And WE! ARE! TIRED!" Shouts a scratchy voice from above, the door leading into a vastly large room filled to the brim with various creatures.

"Those are more mimics, I see myconid spawn too I think. That banshee bitch is floating up there as well along with the gargoyle. I don't see the treant that escaped but no surprise there, thing was always more of a pansy than a flytrap. If we're smart we can pull this off." whispers Anissa as she points out various monsters in the room before Bertram lets out a guffawing laugh and charges into the fray.

"Mmmmm." Mutters Stein as he shakes his head, Anissa following suit as they follow Bertram's carnage into the room.

"Large Human, You shall not pass this room. I deny your existence. I deny your Strength. I deny your meagre attempts!" Shouts the Despot as he paces back and fourth in front of his throne.

{Warning! Scritcher Despot has debuffed you with the affliction [Denial] All stats lowered by 5%. All strength based abilities are now inactive for the next 5 minutes. Every minute you shall be forced to make a sanity check, if failed you will begin to hallucinate.}

"Let the battle commence!" Shouts the Despot as the remaining three bandits struggle within its grasp.