Chapter 403

The remainder of the fight did not go well for The Knights. With the passive gained from killing off Faust, The Alien simply gained too much in survivability for the party to bring it down. Not only were they under leveled for the creature, but being down one of their biggest damage dealers, along with the bonus’s the Alien had received, meant their demise was imminent.

That being said, in typical fashion, they didn’t just give up and die. They fought, long and hard, to try and bring the creature down. It was an epic fight, and they utilized all they had to fight the grotesque creature. Yet, one by one, they fell, and with each death, the Alien grew ever stronger, until it was standing face to face against the only remainder of the Knights. Oak.

“I see you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.” Sergeant Jenkins said as Oak stood fast against the Alien. The fifth floor boss decloaked and casually came into view, as Oak and the Alien fought. The tank was nearly dead, and had burned through all of his cooldowns. In maybe, 10 seconds, James knew the tank was going to fall.

Meanwhile, the Alien had roughly half its life left, perhaps a little under. It’s mana though, was still practically full, as the plethora of skills it had absorbed gave it the perfect combo to run all its stat increasing buffs, while passively regaining the needed mana for them. It was a fight against a permanently buffed mini boss.

“Well, you didn’t mention how nasty these things could get.” Oak said as he blocked another attack with his shield. He winced as acidic ooze slid over it, and a moment later, the shield shattered, disappearing from his hands. Most of his gear had already been destroyed as well, courtesy of the acid the Aline utilized against its foes. Without his tank, and with his armor destroyed, Oak no longer had any hope of survival.

“A proper Predator, a skilled hunter, always knows never to underestimate its foe.” Sergeant Jenkins looked between the battered Oak, and the Alien. “Though, I will admit, you’ve lasted longer than I expected. Truly, this has been an amusing encounter to watch.”

Sure enough, Sergeant Jenkins had been watching the fight for a while now. James had known that, but because of the Boss’s active camouflage, and given their focus had been solely on the Alien, The Knights had no idea they were being watched.

“And yet, we’re still going to die.” Oak grunted and threw himself to the side, his weapon catching the Alien’s tail, knocking it off course just enough that it only grazed his shoulder. Still, a chunk of his meager reaming life faded away, and his health bar was now in the red.

Sergeant Jenkins laughed, leveled his weapon at the alien, and released a burst of rapid shots, pushing the creature away from Oak, and preventing it from finishing off the tank.

“Your team perhaps has fallen. But I will finish this fight for you, as recognition of your efforts.” More shots, as the Alien turned its attention to the Predator, its eyes narrowing. Sergeant Jenkins had the other two alien heads draped around his neck, tied together by what, if James had to guess, was an alien spine? Either way, it was disturbing. His armor, additionally, showed signs of damage from his battles, and James knew, from checking in on the Predator, that he had purposefully fought both of the aliens at the same time, to increase the challenge on himself.

The boss, while extremely confident in his skills, was also cold and calculating. And at level 82, he was just too powerful for aliens formed from mobs in the 60s, even if it were high 60s. With a 10 level advantage, and status as a boss mob, Sergeant Jenkins was without a doubt the most powerful creature in the area.

“I don’t need charity.” Oak grunted as he got back to his feet. Sergeant Jenkins laughed at his statement, his eyes never leaving the Alien.

“It’s not charity. It’s a lesson.” Sergeant Jenkins moved then, his hunting rifle activating its plasma net, and then switching immediately after firing the net, into shotgun mode. The alien dodged the net, and lunged towards Oak, trying to secure its final meal, while avoiding the much more dangerous Sergeant Jenkins. Even though Sergeant Jenkins had level and stat bonuses, the Alien was quite fast, thanks to its absorbed skills, and the increased evasion it had gained with the elf racial passive, made it even harder for the Boss to pin down.

“Lesson my ass.” Oak grumbled. “You can’t just treat us like play things.” He looked towards the Alien, eying it skeptically. Oak hadn’t died yet. James knew that, and the level 68 tank had to be nearing level 69. If he died here, it would be a painful blow towards their goal at leveling. Additionally, if Oak died, the system would count it as a party wipe, and apply the floor penalty timer to the guild. If he survived, his party would be able to survive and return in just a couple more minutes.

“Shall I teach you a lesson in pride then?” Sergeant Jenkins said with a coldness that made the arctic level seem warm. “I’ve no qualms in teaching such lessons.”

Oak let out a heavy sigh and shook his head, moving even as he did to be closer to the Predator. Currently, Sergeant Jenkins was keeping the Alien at bay with his shotgun mode rifle, while conversing with Oak. Oak, to his credit, had popped a couple quick potions, and seemed to be doing his best to weigh the situation.

“No.” Oak said after a long moment. “As much as I hate it. My party needs me to stay alive.”

“Good boy.” Sergeant Jenkins said mockingly. “It takes a true warrior, to know when to step back, and when to seek aid. Perhaps, you and your friends will have the potential to someday be worthy adversaries.”

“I can hardly wait.” Oak said dryly. It was evident he hated this. And James was certain if he was in Oak’s position, he’d likely be pretty salty about it as well. However, this was for the best. And, as it stood, James wanted to see how these interactions with Sergeant Jenkins continued to play out. He knew they’d triggered a secret quest when they’d agreed to give Sergeant Jenkins sacrifices, but he had to wonder what the rewards would be like, given the current situation.

“Trust me,” Sergeant Jenkins’s voice had a hint of excitement, of bloodlust, to it as he slung his rifle, his wrist blades springing to life. “You’ll thank me for this.” The boss charged the Alien, using his deadly wrist blades to engage with the creature in an epic melee. The Alien struggled and fought, it tried to use all the tricks it could, all of its skills, to break free. And to its credit, it landed a good chunk of hits, from what James could tell, on Sergeant Jenkins.

In the end though, the Boss was, well, the boss. He was the Apex predator on the map, and with his overwhelming numbers and stats, along with his upgraded skills and abilities, he defeated the mini boss.

“Come here, warrior.” Sergeant Jenkins said as the alien squirmed under the boss. After mere minutes of intense fighting, he’d severed its tail, crippled it, and pinned it to the ground. Now, with a blade against the Alien’s through, its health in the hundreds, Sergeant Jenkins motioned for Oak.

The tank walked cautiously towards Sergeant Jenkins. He was suspicious, and rightly so. However, even if this was a trap, it didn’t matter. Oak knew all too well that Sergeant Jenkins could end him quite easily. All that mattered for the tank, as it stood, was he stay alive long enough for his teammates to respawn.

“What is it?” He asked hesitantly, looking from the Boss, to the Mini Boss.

“I present to you, your reward.” And without warning, the Alien’s head was severed, sending acidic blood sizzling through the air, the already soaked and melted ground clearing away. Sergeant Jenkins held the severed head out to Oak, and as he did, the head seemed to shimmer and change. A second later, to James’s surprise, it became a shield, a massive, black shield in the shape of the Alien’s head, the center of the open mouth of the creature. From the front of it, green acid lightly dripped, and James was certain the shield had with it some of the Alien’s skills.

“A trophy, if you may, of your first true hunt.” And with that, Sergeant Jenkins faded away, activating his camouflage, and leaving the scene, as Oak stood there, dumbfounded, looking at his new, grotesque shield. The forest, the hot springs, everywhere, was quiet, which made Oak’s next muttered words, seem to come out as deafening.

“What the actual fuck?”