Chapter 105: The Buried Nest 2

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: The Buried Nest 2

The lesser monsters surrounded it, and Saira let out a slow breath. "Please tell me that’s the last one," she muttered. The figure on the throne spoke. "The Nest Master." Arin turned to face it. "So there aren’t any more?" "There is only one Nest Master," the figure replied. "Good," Arin said.

The thing let out a bestial roar, and the swarms of monsters surged forward. Chaos erupted once more as the Nest Master drove one of its massive limbs into the floor. A shockwave rippled out, throwing Dev into the air and off his feet. Nisha screamed as she and the warrior were sent flying, but Rayan was there to catch them before they could hit the ground. Another smaller creature got in his way, but Tara sent an arrow through its neck, and Rayan stood to meet the Nest Master head on.

Ayan and Arin flanked it, and the mercenary was the first to engage. He drove a fist into the creature’s ribs, and the black plates of its chest cracked. Arin followed up, driving his blade into the widening gap. The Nest Master let out a deafening scream, but Arin barely had time to register it before one of its arms slammed into him, sending him tumbling across the chamber. He hit a pillar and pain bloomed in his shoulder, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet.

"Arin!" Arene yelled. "I’m alive," he said. "Your definition of alive remains dangerously broad," the woman replied. Arin steadied himself as the Nest Master pulled itself to its feet. It was healing, and not fast enough for him. Ayan saw it too. "Regeneration," the mercenary said. Saira lashed out with her weapon and severed the legs of another one of the lesser monsters. "Of course it regenerates!"

Adnan joined her. "We need to kill the little ones!" he shouted. "Why?" Rayan asked. "They’re feeding it!" Adnan said. Arin turned his gaze on the battlefield, and sure enough, he saw wisps of mana connecting the creatures to the Nest Master. Every time one of the little monsters came near, it fed the larger one. That explained its regeneration.

Arin let out a small, satisfied smile. "Good catch," he said. Rayan heard him. "New plan?" "Kill everything," Arin said. Dev let out a short laugh. "Great plan." They spread out, Ayan abandoning the Nest Master in favor of the swarms. Fire erupted from his outstretched palm, Nisha conjuring a gust of wind to spread it, and the lesser monsters shrieked as they burned.

Few escaped Tara’s field of fire, but Saira and Adnan took care of the stragglers, and Arin was left alone with the Nest Master. It swung at him, but Arin ducked and rolled behind it, waiting for its guard to drop. He barely had time to react when another limb came swinging at him. He blocked it with his weapon but nearly lost it in the process. Arin let out a sharp breath. "Dungeon Authority Reinforcement," he growled.

The power surged through his veins, and he came to his feet. The Nest Master opened all three of its mouths, and Arin’s eyes widened. "Tara!" he shouted. She heard him, but it wasn’t fast enough. "Dungeon Barrier Formation!" he yelled. The wall of mana rose to meet the blast, but it cracked almost immediately. Arin formed another barrier, and another, and another, and for the briefest of moments, Ayan had him covered.

The beam of energy tore through the chamber, and Arin was on the other side of the wall when it finished. "Thanks," he said. "Later," Ayan replied. The lesser monsters were dying fast, and the wisps of mana connecting them to the Nest Master disappeared one by one. The creature’s regeneration slowed, and then stopped altogether. Arin let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. "Everybody!" he shouted.

They all understood, and Rayan charged forward. Dev planted his shield into the Nest Master’s side, using the impact to shove it back, and Nisha fired a blast of mana at the opening in its armor. Tara’s arrow followed, embedding itself deep in the wound, and Saira drove her weapon into the same place. Adnan did the same, widening the gash, and Ayan took a step forward. One punch, and the plate covering the Nest Master’s heart split open.

Arin’s eyes went wide. "Dungeon Sovereign," he muttered. Pain bloomed in his skull, but he didn’t stop. He knew where the heart was. He knew its weakness. The Nest Master let out a final, ear-splitting roar, but Arin drove his blade into the opening. The creature shuddered, and every last one of the lesser monsters on the battlefield collapsed. Its body went limp, and Arin withdrew his weapon.

It was over. Arin looked around, expecting a celebration, but no one was smiling. Arene said, "The nest connection has collapsed." "Good," Arin said, before turning toward the throne. The figure still sat there, watching him. Arin walked toward it slowly. Saira saw what he was doing. "What are you doing?" "Getting answers."

The figure chuckled. "You survived." Arin stopped a few feet away. "You knew that thing was going to come after us." "Yes." "You knew the nest could be awakened." "Yes." "You knew another Dungeon Master died trying to get to this place. Still opened the door for me." "Yes." Arin’s expression darkened.

The figure stood, and Rayan and the others raised their weapons. Ayan took up position beside Arin. The figure looked them all over. "The dungeon needed someone strong enough to survive," it said. "Strong enough to what?" "Survive," it replied. Arin narrowed his eyes. "Wrong answer," he growled.

The figure attacked first, shadows consuming the battlefield. Arin barely got his weapon up in time, and the force of the blow sent him sprawling. Ayan joined the fray, but the figure raised a hand and a wall of darkness stopped him. Saira charged forward, but the figure sent another wave of its power at her, sending her flying. "He’s stronger than before!" Adnan shouted.

Arin already knew that. The figure had been holding back, saving its strength. Maybe it was testing him, or the nest was affecting him. Regardless, it was growing stronger, and that meant he had to as well. "Everybody together!" Arin bellowed. They attacked as one, Rayan and Dev drawing the figure’s fire while Nisha fired bolts of her own. Tara’s arrows pelted its defenses, and Ayan broke through with a burst of flame.

Saira followed up, and the barrier of shadows surrounding the figure flickered and cracked. Arin let out a sharp breath. Dungeon Authority, he thought, not Dungeon Master Authority. It was weaker, but it would have to do. "Arene!" "I see it," the woman said. "The throne." "Yes," Arin said.

The power the figure was drawing came from the throne, more specifically the mana channel beneath it. Arin let out a satisfied grin. "Got you," he said. "Dungeon Manipulation!" The floor beneath the throne gave way, severing the mana channel, and the figure staggered, its shadow dissipating. Ayan was the first to take advantage, driving a punch into its gut that sent it sprawling.

Rayan followed up, driving his blade into its side, but Saira, Adnan, and Tara were quick to join him. The figure’s strength left it, and Arin stepped forward. It tried to stand, but Tara’s arrow found its shoulder. Arin loomed over it, and its head turned to look at him. For the first time, he saw its face. It wasn’t a face in the traditional sense. It was a mass of black stone, but the cracks in it revealed the rough equivalent of facial features.

It wasn’t human. It was something else entirely. A construct, maybe, built to serve as guardian. The thing raised a hand, but Arin was faster. His weapon drove into its chest, and the construct exploded into black stone. Silence filled the chamber, save for the sound of a System notification.

[Dungeon Guardian Defeated]

[Buried Nest Cleared]

[Abandoned Dungeon Defense System Disabled]

Arin stared at the remnants of the thing on the floor. "So you were never the master," Arin said. Arene shook her head. "No," she said. The throne cracked behind the young man, then collapsed in on itself. Another notification appeared.

[Abandoned Dungeon Core Access Available]

Arin turned toward the passage beyond the throne room, and for the first time in a long while, nobody said a word. Somewhere in the distance, something else was beginning to glow.