I started the whole path once more. With brutal determination I swept the beggars off the bridge, raided the hermit's house, swatted down the bird and the archers, battered through the hall of lurking mummies, and stood before the threshold, behind which waited the turgid heap.

Relying on my speed and the thrust of my war-club, I gave myself a buff to my mobility by chewing the Koka leaves that increased stamina regeneration. I unequipped my shield and took the staff in both hands. There was no blocking this thing. I knew if I was going to kill this thing I was going to have to be quick on my feet.

I passed through the doorway and rammed straight into the tidal wave of skeletons, both hands on the stave of the hunter's war-club. I bashed my way straight through the mass of body parts, dealing -233 damage, blasting off a not insignificant smidgen of the boss' HP bar!

In the next second I nimbly dodged two massive skeletal hands which rose up from the great corpse-pile and jutted out to smack me down. Sliding behind the heaving collective's heel, I chipped away multiple blows, -228, -237, -230, driving the Will of Yearning's HP down to a third of the bar.

Then the squamous rubbish heap of souls grasped hold my waist and picked me up off the ground! Enclosing their bony embrace around me and crushing down on me for critical damage.

-199. -197, -201

Before hurtling me down the ground for a further -312 damage!

I was critically wounded, the only thing keeping my crippled body rolling was the koka-leaf stamina buff I had taken earlier.

I dodged the boss's next wave attack, and, rushing all-out in a do-or-die attack, I slashed prematurely at the bulging mass' side for -229, -239.

But in my rage and panic I had been careless, and a cascade of bleached bones now buried me underneath the bleak yawning words: 'All is Lost'

I screamed and threw the controller down on the sofa.

Fuck me! I hate this fucking thing!

I grit my teeth. Killed the beggars. Ran through the house. Clipped the bird's wings. Unstrung the bowmen. And wrapped up the mummies.

Now again I used the same weapon and stamina, but this time I wasn't going to fuck this up. I tensed my grip and charged into the fray, again hitting him with a barrage of two-handed heavy attacks for -264, -259, -261 damage!

I already anticipated the bony lump's counterattack and double-tapped the dodge button to leap out of the way.

Then I ran back to the side of the churning pile and mashed it repeatedly for -223, -229, -231, -230, but this time as the mass towered over to overwhelm me from the front, I leapt back again and side-strafed the great stone hall around it.

Now, after the pile had impotently lunged at me once more, I took advantage of an exposed opening in its assault and unleashed frenzied blows, -233, -230, -233.

My heart leapt as I glanced above the screen to see his HP bar was down to its last eigth of vitality!

In that split-second of carelessness, the carrion lump thrashed me twice for -245 and -249 damage, driving me down to a third of my health.

I roared! I am not gonna fuck up this time!

I rolled to the foot of the towering mass and slammed it down with three heavy attacks for -255, -263, and -261 damage.

The great heap of bodies yawned and collapsed, shaking the room as if in an earthquake rumbled beneath it.

SACRIFICE DEVOURED

+ Blood-Drops Gained - 600

+ Blood-Drops Recovered - 685

Up from the trash and detritus belched up a geyser of dust particles which flooded the room and twinkled gold from the sunlight that penetrated the great circular roof. It was from one of these structural gaps that a rope-ladder dropped down, and I took hold of its rungs and ascended up through the crypt's great expanse.

I climbed up from a gap in the vault's ceiling and rose up on a vermillion dyed tile floor resting beneath the steeples of a narrow chapel buttressed by steeples and arches. The walls were a brilliant red with the texture of wet clay. Across the altar and the side of the hall were decorated motifs of the golden sun and the shells of crabs.

Area Discovered - Supplicant's Chapel of Zhyang

Beneath the altar lay a chest...

+ Item Gained - Crab Chonta Staff

The item description read - "+1 STR; Increases the effectiveness of fire damage."

The lore read - "A rod carved of sacred wood from the Great Sea of Trees past the Thunder Lands. These staves are used by Yunka shamans and spirits as energetic lightning rods. Bearing the figure of the crab, the icon of the sun-god, Zhyang, this staff channels the scorching rays of the sun."

A wooden beam served as a ramp that led up over the altar. I climbed it and exited the chapel through a set of broken stained-glass windows. The next save tree was just up ahead.