Inario Dungeon (5)
My shout drew everyone's gaze toward me—everyone except Inadia.
Inadia seemed too busy dealing with the monster charging from the front to notice. Better to leave him be.
We needed at least one solid tank to hold the line.
Thanks to Hairil's magical lighting, I could clearly make out the identity of the beast lumbering up from behind.
It was a massive land turtle. But sprouting from the front of its shell was a vicious pair of horns even fiercer than an elephant's tusks, angled diagonally like a mounted knight leveling his lance at infantry.
Its head sported a rhino-like horn perfect for upward gouges. And its carapace was bristling with countless dagger-like spines... Fuck, you a turtle ship or what?
Good thing we'd spotted it early. If those passage-blockers had pinched us from both sides, survival would've been dicey.
That's why I'd yelled for everyone.
"Leave the front to the captain! We'll hold this side!!"
They all got the picture and hustled over to me right away.
The thing hadn't cleared the bend yet.
To attack us, it'd have to pivot in place like a tank—trundling its bulk around the corner.
That's when it hit me: Panash was the goldkeeper of Iyer, but he also prayed to Pandelsinkarashi, the earth god.
"Panash! Can you bind its legs with a prayer?"
"Both legs, yes."
"Bind its right two before it turns!"
"Buy me time!"
Panash dropped his weapons, sat cross-legged right there, and began his meditation prayer.
That's when the monster turtle reached the bend.
Its body—roughly two meters tall and wide—filled the passage. Short as a one-ton Porter truck in length, but the sheer mass was on another level. Probably weighed ten times as much.
That hulking frame twisted sideways, exposing the brutal spines on its shell as one eye fixed on us.
It retracted the long, lance-like horns jutting from its front, carving out space to turn.
Clear intent: it was gunning for us.
No room for a group assault, so I—the closest—charged first, swinging my magic sword, Killgent's Oath.
"Whoa, what the—!"
The moment I poured my will into it—I'll cleave you—a strange resistance hit. The swing speed didn't slow, but the mystical energy drained from the blade.
Ching!!
In the end, my weapon lost its magic and struck like a plain old sword. No cleave.
The monster turtle flinched at the hit and tucked its head into its shell.
In that instant, my Status Window flashed a debuff: Under Observation—then vanished. Same word I'd seen back when rescuing Orio, the moment I grabbed Katona's head.
Status Window
Debuff: Under Observation → [Cleared]
Someone—or something—was watching me, interfering with my sword's magic!
The monster turtle lifted its front leg on our side, shifting sideways. Time to turn for real.
My first strike failed, and Ashu charged in yelling.
"By Kalderan's light, purify!!"
"Ashu!! Hack that leg off!!"
She heard me, waited for my retreat, then slammed her mace into the turtle's advancing front leg with a thoroughly un-purifying prayer—sending it flying back to square one.
"By Kalderan's light, purify!!"
⟨ Purification ⟩
Her prayer wasn't blocked?
Seeing it land, I swung at the leg again.
Ching!!
What the hell? Why only me? Am I marked!?
"Get back!! Move!!"
Hodo—the slowest runner—barreled in with his massive double-headed axe.
We gave him full runway to maximize momentum and weight.
"Hrraaaaaah!!"
He targeted the front leg Ashu had reset.
But the turtle suddenly dipped its left side, tucking the leg under its shell.
Thud!!
The shell was damn near stone. Hodo's blow cracked a section but didn't do much else.
Guess it wasn't taking this lying down.
Panash's prayer still brewing?
"All upon this earth shall return to Pandelsinkarashi's embrace... All upon this earth shall return to Pandelsinkarashi's embrace..."
"All upon this earth shall return to Pandelsinkarashi's embrace..."
"All upon this earth shall return to Pandelsinkarashi's embrace..."
⟨ Earth Prayer ⟩
Prayers to gods were mostly in the ancient language. I could understand them. Panash was still green.
Ashu made it look effortless because she was saintess-level. Panash's "a bit" meant exactly that.
Us blocking its turn pissed it off. The turtle started sidling without pivoting, spines like a wall inching toward us—aiming to link up with its buddy opposite.
No head swings or charges with those lance horns—small mercies—but neither Ashu's mace nor Hodo's axe could halt its stride.
Keep getting pushed, and Panash's chant breaks.
"Hairil! Any pushback spell, even weak?"
"Th-then... I'll try this one!
Wind, become the gale that reaps the trees!!"
"Wind, become the gale that reaps the trees!!"
⟨ Gale Harvest ⟩
Air sucked toward Hairil from all sides, then blasted the advancing turtle.
Weak enough to barely stagger a person—useless in normal fights—but...
"Nice!! It's working!"
Against a passage-filling bulk like that, it packed real stopping power.
"All upon this earth shall return to Pandelsinkarashi's embrace!!"
"All upon this earth shall return to Pandelsinkarashi's embrace!!"
⟨ Earth Embrace ⟩
Panash's prayer connected!
Vines snaked around its right-side legs—our opposite—rooting both like trees to the floor.
Trapped, unable to turn, tilt, or budge, the turtle panicked—scraping and shoving with its free legs in futile thrashing.
"Hodo, time to chop wood with that axe."
"Kyahaha! Leave it to me!!"
One side pinned, those legs were just fat logs.
Hodo spun full-body like a windmill, hacking one. Tough, didn't sever clean—but it reacted.
Kuooooh!!
Finally feeling fear, the beast screamed. It swung the struck leg, pointless.
Hit the back one instead!
Thud!!
Kuoooeeraaaah!!!!
They say no tree survives ten chops. Four on the front left it ragged, ready to drop. The back trembled after two.
Pain overwhelming, it yanked its head out, lunging toward its legs—but turtle necks gonna turtle.
Anyway.
Head out at last. I Happy Moment-froze time the second I saw that extended neck, interference be damned, and swung mana-charged.
Squelch!!
Half the neck this time. Not clean—its innate magic resistance—but enough for finisher.
Saw-toothed the blade out; blood geysered.
"Hm!? When'd you pop up and lop the head? Nearly got me!"
Hodo startled mid-swing at my sudden appearance, axe frozen.
Moments later, the lolling head thumped down. Seconds after, the body slumped.
"Hoo..."
"Haa~~"
Panash—sweating from mana and focus drain—panted seated. Hairil collapsed as her spell ended, tension gone.
"Kahahat! As a dwarf, digging the earth hot and heavy—this is tunneling!"
Hodo was fresh. Ashu wiped the turtle's spray from me.
Speaking of... what was Inadia doing back there?
I glanced behind; everyone else did too, synchronized.
"Hahaha!! Monster turtle!! Think I'd let you harm my comrades?! Begone!! [Repel!]"
"Repel!"
⟨ Repel ⟩
A shockwave from his shield hammered the turtle's head back like a hammer strike. Same type we'd just dropped.
"This Inadia's sword shall cleave you! [Cleave!]
My shield guards all!! [Repel!]
It shall clear the path ahead."
"Cleave!"
"Repel!"
⟨ Sword Chant ⟩
"……."
"……."
"……."
"……."
The rest of us stared blankly, ignoring Inadia completely—just as he'd ignored us.
Totally immersed in his own fight.
Generous of us to understand. Tough foe.
His shield, his sword—perfect anti-turtle setup.
Reliable captain. No one moved; same thought.
Perfect.
Popcorn?
Hey Hairil, brighter light. HD viewing.
I pulled basilisk jerky from my bag, chewed. Ashu wordlessly held out a hand; tore her some.
What? Everyone wants?
Elves chew jerky too?
"At last, at last!! Tired yet?! Good fight! Time to end it!!"
Climax?
Any second, the hero turns post-battle, relieved grin...
Crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch......