Chapter 194: Chapter 189: A Timely Discovery

Chapter 189: A Timely Discovery

“Alright then.”

Emma cleared her throat, stepping out of the stairwell in her armour, with one eye on the clock.

[WARNING: This Dungeon is unstable, and will collapse if unbeaten in 50 minutes.]

“There’s not really time to explain how we ended up in this situation, so I’ll keep it short. We’re at the end of a long Dungeon, and that big portal on legs is the final boss. Anything that goes through the portal is gone, including attacks, without seeming to harm it at all. It can also affect gravity, to redirect projectiles into the middle of the portal, so aiming at the outside hasn’t helped.”

[Time Eater - Level 40]

Emma summoned her bow and fired another arrow at the Time Eater to emphasise the last bit; despite aiming for an arm, it curved and vanished into the portal like every shot before it.

“I was at a loss what to do, before the System came through for me, and we scraped together a candle to bring you all here. If you’ve got anything that might help, I’m all ears.”

“It doesn’t react when you attack it?” Astrid questioned immediately.

“Not once so far,” Emma confirmed. “Granted, I haven’t managed to do anything notable either. Its behaviour may change, once someone lands a clean hit.”

“I’ve got a few curses I could use,” Astrid offered. “Ones that just need me to specify the target, no projectile involved, though it’ll probably make it angry.”

“What about field effects?” Saint suggested. “Grabbing him with roots from below, or spikes coming out of the ground? I could try to get the Hydra poison to stick, as well.”

“That could work,” Emma hummed. “I couldn’t test anything like that, my attacks need to land to trigger any status conditions. Okay, that’s two for two then, got anything to add?”

Emma directed that question to Mr. Fox, who was presently trying (and failing) to bite down on Saint’s tails.

“Huh? Oh, I have the Thief class, so I’m really good at stealing things. Maybe that’ll come in handy? I’m also really good at spotting traps.”

“That could come in handy,” Emma agreed. “I doubt this will be as simple as a single stage fight, so there’s no real way to plan in detail. I’ll try to keep its attention on me, since I can survive most things. Astrid, get your best curse ready, we’ll start the fight on your mark. Saint, get ready to trip it as soon as it starts to react, or heal us if it lands any hits. Mr. Fox can keep an eye out for any targets of opportunity, otherwise, hang back, keep a wide field of view, and warn us if you see any surprises. Got it?”

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Getting a chorus of affirmatives in return, Emma took her position at the front of the party, getting between the boss and Astrid. The latter sat down, cross-legged on the floor, and began to chant, a low whisper that Emma couldn’t make out despite being only a handful of steps away. Saint flicked her tails, tearing half a dozen stone blocks out of the ground and floating them into the air, creating a makeshift platform for herself and the Potted Hydra, which had woken up by now, and was curiously sniffing its new surroundings. Mr. Fox huddled in the furthest corner from the boss and played dead. Altogether, this wasn’t quite the party Emma had expected to answer her plea for help, but beggars can’t be choosers.

As it turned out, some chants could last a long time, but Emma stayed patient as the minutes ticked by. They weren’t likely to get a second round against the boss, so she could only hope that whatever opener Astrid was preparing would be worth the wait.

[WARNING: This Dungeon is unstable, and will collapse if unbeaten in 45 minutes.]

“It’s ready.” Astrid stood back up, pointing her staff at the Time Eater again.

This time, her spell struck home, and the effect was both immediate and pronounced. A thin layer of liquid coated every visible surface of the boss, which sizzled as the potent acid began eating its way through solid stone, taking out a solid inch in that time, and showing no signs of stopping. For a single second, the Time Eater stood still, as it processed what was happening to it. Then, it began to scream. A deafening banshee’s wail followed, prompting Emma to cut off her hearing within half a second of being subjected to that cacophony. That would have been fine, if it were the only effect, but before Emma’s eyes, the damage to the boss first slowed, then stopped, then began to reverse, stone returning to pristine condition one layer at a time. The portal rippled, a steady, repeating pulse from the centre out to the edges, one that grew steadily with each passing moment.

Vines erupted from the ground, glowing a sickly green as they wrapped around the boss. Emma snuck a glance at Saint, to find her with one paw on each of the Hydra’s heads, a steady stream of virulent drool vanishing, only to be applied by her summoned plantlife. Faced with this second assault, the ripples along the portal greatly intensified, the gentle beat it previously followed now frantic as it fought to repair its wounds. Amidst the ripples, Emma thought that she could just about make out a face, and on that hunch, she fired another arrow, this time aimed dead centre on the portal. For the first time, she struck true, and was rewarded with an enraged hiss, and a brief look at a pale, reptilian face, one now marred with a thin line running down its lower cheek. The Time Eater continued to heal, despite this, but the rate of restoration notably slowed.

“The portal can’t act everywhere at the same time,” Mr. Fox declared, having witnessed the entire exchange from his spot in the corner. “Forcing it to self-repair weakens the centre, and if you can push that past a certain point, the controller is left vulnerable.”

“So we overwhelm it,” Emma concluded, climbing atop the Leech King to get a better line of fire. “You too, Antipode. Give it everything you’ve got.”