Breaking the Shell

The first strike nearly killed Yerin.

He had been expecting a strong opponent, sure. However, the Captain's strength was leagues above any other creature we had faced thus far.

Yerin was punched straight into the sand. The explosion that arose around him as he hit spoke to the actual damage that occurred. I was worried he had died.

The other Silver bees fearing the same, moved to strike in its blindspot while the beast was distracted. But how could the Captain leave himself open? He was not only stronger than any other creature below the eleventh floor, but he was more intelligent than most of them as well.

He didn't even lose out to the boss on the tenth floor when it came to its smarts.

Knowing that, with the tremendous strike momentum, it managed to move closer to Striker, who was preparing what I was sure was her ultimate move to attack the beast. An anchor to the face put a quick stop to that.

It didn't have the power of the initial strike on Yerin, but the hit to the head, even with her armor, was more than enough to take her out of the fight for quite some time.

The boss had only made two moves, but already nearly half the party had been put down for the count.

Scout would be fine in this fight. With his speed, he would be more than capable of avoiding any of the attacks the Captain could put forth.

It was only his blades that could do no damage to the beast that would hold him back.

Leader would fare little better than the others when facing the beast. All she could do was dance away until I had hit the creature enough to take down some of its armor.

That was the boss's weak point that made anyone with a mage far more likely to defeat him in their group.

While his own armor was incredibly resilient against physical attacks, the same could not be said for magical. It was like the creature had given up any of the magical defenses of its brethren in favor of physical.

Which for the floors below the tenth was a perilous prospect for anyone that had no magical talents. Most had to resort to buying expensive spell scrolls to deal enough damage to remove its incredible armor. Making most runs down far from profitable.

With me here, though, the fight was far from a lost cause.

While the Captain was lumbering towards Leader, aiming to take out another member of the group. I let loose the barrage I had been charging up.

I was looking forward to the time I had a more comprehensive array of magic at my disposal. Resorting to the same tricks every time was getting exhausting.

For the moment, I would have to rely on the faithful bolts that have kept me company in both lives.

I was loath to use my fire affinity for anything anymore. Any imperfections in my core could create an incredible amount of weakness in the future.

The first mana bolt to hit definitely got his attention. The strike phasing through his armor as if it didn't exist, hitting the soft flesh underneath.

That caused the boss a significant amount of pain. As he began to rise, to roar out in pain and fury, the rest hit.

Each one striking and causing considerable damage. Not enough to take him down. The wounds were only skin deep, after all. I would have to aim for far more vital areas to be a real threat of taking him down in one move.

Still, my attacks were more than enough to rip off the armor on the Captain's left arm. Giving a chance for the Leader to strike if she could avoid the Captains attack for long enough.

Luckily for her, the old Shellface decided to charge what he deemed was the biggest threat. While he wasn't wrong, seeing a giant turtle charge at you, bellowing in rage, was a terrifying sight, one that was hardly matched even in my past life.

With a burst of magic under my feet, I managed to dodge the lumbering beast. Sending out an overcharged mana bolt to attack the Captain's chest.

All I would have to focus on would be to strip the Captain of his supernatural armor. As long as the others recovered in a short amount of time, the battle would surely be one.

That was when the Captain decided to change his attack patterns, something I wasn't aware he could do.

Using the roar of pain and outrage of losing his chest piece, he pivoted around. He sent the giant anchor flying straight towards me.

I couldn't even think about what was happening. The shield I had managed to put up was like paper compared to the Captain's striking force. Another burst sent me flying above the anchor.

I wasn't quick enough; however, the anchor struck my feet at titanic speed.

Sending me spinning through the air. The landing on the sandy beaches was not pretty as I felt pain explode throughout my entire body. My vision had turned black as well.

Spitting out the sand in my mouth as I attempted to get back to my feet. I was suddenly pulled away.

Just in the nick of time as well, as even with my blurry vision, I could see the massive anchor that now stood in the place I had been only moments before.

Looking behind me in shock, I saw Scout dragging me from my imminent death. As my vision began to clear up in the distance, I could see Leader and an injured Yerin keeping the Captain busy.

I felt something rising in my chest, something I hadn't felt in a long time. Even when I saw Sammy and my mother for the first time, it seemed muted any reaction I felt a little too slow.

I hadn't noticed it before, but now it all seemed to snap into place. The fear of death had melded my two forms together perfectly.

I wasn't reborn to gain great wealth by selling secrets I didn't earn. I was here to put my life on the line for the future I had envisioned.

That was the only way I could genuinely fight against the fates. Now I would have to come out of this fugue quickly if I was to make a difference.

I couldn't let any of the Silver Bees die before their time. That could rid the world of one of the few good things that had befallen the Empire before the end.

I couldn't let their discovery be lost due to mistakes I had caused. I had been far too relaxed once again. I should have never gone below the fifth floor.

It was madness to attempt this fight before we had sufficient numbers. Even with the power of the Silver Bees, it only went so far against the eight-floor boss.

Climbing to my feet, I did my best to thank Scout, but it seemed my tongue didn't feel like obeying me today.

My magic, on the other hand, wasn't so rebellious. I had worked through the immense pain to allow my channels to work even a little. Magic was far more synonymous with pain for me.

In fact, the only thing it did was sharpen my mind. Tens of bolts appeared around me, almost unbidden, each one stronger than the last. It wouldn't be enough to kill the boss, but it was sure to make his day a whole lot worse.

With a cry of my own, I sent my own attack careening towards the oversized Turtle.

It struck a great blow against the beast, sending the Turtle sliding back quite a distance. Plus, the attack I had managed to land before I had been sent flying had stripped the beast of nearly all of its armor on its upper body.

That sent the Captain into an even more ferocious battle frenzy. The tide was slowly turning in our favor as Scout was feeding a health potion to Striker, so it would only be a matter of time before she was back on her feet.

Both Yerin and Leader had done an admirable job defending and avoiding the beast's attack while trying to get in hits of their own.

The Captain's arm, covered with bleeding wounds, spoke to that fact. Now with the loss of the boss's armor all over its body, it was nothing but a sitting duck for the delvers' sharp attacks. The Captain had no ability beyond its incredible armor, so we had little worry of a renewed counterattack. He did still manage to send Leader flying into the cabin before he finally succumbed to the group.

The battle had been won but at a cost. Everyone but Scout would be limping back up to the top of the dungeon.

Any plans I had of another delve tonight before the street fight was long gone. All I could hope for was that I would recover a little.

Also that the rewards from this battle would be more than worth it.