Chapter 2.49: Wild Card

Chapter 2.49: Wild Card

Theo and Tresk spent more time than they should have playing with the children in Xams tavern. The fart machine was everything it was cracked up to be, playing a series of 10 sounds that Throk had clearly recorded himself. Zankir and Zansal, who were stationed in the tavern for protection duty, werent as amused by the Marshlings recorded raspberries. The small play area established for the kids was on the first floor, in the center of the room. Sledge had reinforced the walls with her [Fabricators Core], infusing them with marble. While the appearance of the wood slats hadnt changed, if the alchemist knocked his knuckles against the wood, it was hard as stone.

Xolsa had also laced the exterior of the building with invisible runes, or so Theo was told. When a monster struck the outside of the tavern, they would be sent to another dimension for a short time, reappearing randomly within the swamp.

Theo took time to notice the aesthetic beauty of the tavern, marveling at the strange construction of the building seed cores. The alchemists impression of Half-Ogre construction was one of thick stone blocks hastily shoved together. When he arrived in Broken Tusk, almost every building was made of wood. It was the most plentiful resource back then, giving way to rot and decay. The entire neighborhood north of the tavern had taken on the stone block aesthetic, but of the other buildings in town, only half decided on stone.

That thought implied some decision-making by the seeds, which was strange. These thoughts were a distraction, though. Something to whittle away the time as they prepared for the siege. Tresk departed as noon drew closer, off to meet with her squad of stealth specialists. The alchemist didnt know what she was assigned to do, but there was no better person to lead a squad of sneaky people. A message popped up shortly after.

[Aarok]: Xolsa is preparing to instigate the monster wave. Please stand by for more information.

Theo rose from the floor, making his way to the exit of the tavern. A series of fart sounds followed him, and he couldnt help but laugh. The giggles of the children were too much. A system message obscured the center of his view as he set foot on the hard cobbles outside.

[Pincer Attack!]

Monster Wave

Duration: Infinite

Pincer Attack!

The [Swamp Dungeon] and [River Dungeon] have joined forces, creating a pincer attack.

Broken Tusk is besieged on both sides by the Troll Forces to the west, and the Fald forces to the east, resulting in 2 bosses spawning at the same time!

Defeating this wave will result in a greater reward, but the difficulty is increased significantly.

Effects:

2 boss monsters have been spawned simultaneously.

2 distinct armies, operating under the control of their boss monster, have spawned.

Increased reward for completing the monster wave.

Gain an additional effect for completing the wave within a time limit (24 hours).

The moment he dismissed that message, another came up.

[Empowered Monsters]

Monster Wave Modifier

Duration: Until Completion

Empowered Monsters!

The buildup of power within the dungeons has become too great, resulting in an empowered wave. The monsters are stronger and less forgiving. Good luck.

Every monster in the monster wave receives +5 to their level.

Effects:

Level +5 for every monster in the wave.

Increased reward for completing the monster wave.

Both messages seemed horrific, but exciting. The monster wave itself was modified, essentially doubling the amount of monsters Broken Tusk would need to defeat. Then, the [Empowered Monsters] effect made them all stronger. Theo now realized that the amount of towers they bought was likely too few.

[Aarok]: This is as expected. Stick with your teams and prepare to receive Zaralis blessing.

Aaroks town-wide message rolled through Theos mind. He felt his muscles surge with power as the next message popped up.

You have received [Blessing of Drogramath] from [Zarali].

[Blessing of Drogramath]

Spiritual Effect

Duration: 24 hours

A priest or priestess of Drogramath has blessed you with power. You will receive a series of buffs based on the casters willpower.

Effect:

Increased effectiveness of combat (increased Strength, Dexterity, Vigor by +10).

Double the effectiveness of all potions used while under this effect.The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

This was an absurd buff. The increase to combat attributes was crazy enough, but the doubled potion effectiveness would be amazing. Combined with the [Troll Slaying] effect the town had, and the bombs would deal a ton of damage. As the alchemist stepped over the road, he felt his feet fall silently. He pivoted on the spot, noting no sensation of dizziness as he whipped around. The increase to [Dexterity] was the most notable thing about the buff. The alchemist inspected his character sheet before reporting to his team.

When Razal finally approached the gate, a single blast from a nearby [Fireball Tower] saw her removed from existence. Theo eyed the water she left behind with hungry eyes. His cores were telling him it was worth collecting. The system produced a message that confirmed the bosses were dead, joined by more bad news.

[Boss Monster] defeated! River Lady Razal has been slain. Bonus Wave!

[Bonus Wave!] Broken Tusk defeated the monster wave in 6 hours! Bonus wave: [Wild Card].

[Wild Card]

Monster Wave

Duration: 1 Hour

Wild Card!

Every remaining creature has been removed from the field and shuffled into nearby dungeons. One monster from each dungeon has been promoted to a sub-boss. They will assault immediately.

Experience gained from killing these monsters is increased.

[Monster Wave] gold is increased for each sub-boss defeated.

Sub-bosses guaranteed to drop addition, increased rarity loot.

Aarok was quick to redistribute the adventurers, spreading them across each gate but reinforcing the eastern gate. He was clever enough to understand that if each wave would attack the town, 2 waves would come from the east. One from the [River Dungeon] and one from the [Ocean Dungeon]. The monsters always targeted the gates, which were the weakest part of the defensive structure.

Dusk loomed on the horizon as the defense of Broken Tusk continued. 5 waves of monsters descended on the town, but their strength was diminished. The system redistributed the monsters, splitting individuals into multiple, smaller monsters to field a sea of weak enemies. Most fell to the powerful towers dotting the walls, while others fell to the hands of adventurers. Theo simply marveled at the efficiency of Aaroks command, running between checkpoints and delivering motes and potions. He was exhausted and tempted to pop a [Stamina Potion] when the final sub-boss fell. Night had blanketed the town when the system message appeared.

[Monster Wave] complete!

925 Monsters Destroyed!

20 gold bonus (paid to the Mayor of Broken Tusk).

Bonus for defeat of 2 bosses, 5 sub-bosses:

Obtained: [Plume of Defiance].

Obtained: 8 gold, 1 silver, 92 copper.

[Broken Tusk] gained new effect: [Coordinated Fire].

Theo felt the hat fall into his inventory. When he removed it, he scowled. It was a fancy cloth hat, fitted perfectly for his head with a band. It was puffed on the top, like dough that had risen irregularly. Sticking out from the center of the hat was a feather that swooped in a wide arc. He inspected it.

[Plume of Defiance]

[Cloth Hat]

Epic

Scaling

Hat granted to the alchemist with the determination to defend his home.

Effect:

During a siege, all potions used by defenders will be 1.25 times more effective.

+1 Vigor

Tresk burst into laughter when she spotted him. She pointed, rolled on the ground, then came up to smack at the feather like a cat.

Its too good not to wear, he said, scowling.

You look like Fenian, Tresk said. Her face went a pale shade of pink, eyes going wide. Oh no

She slowly withdrew something from her inventory. It was a smaller version of the hat Theo wore, tailored to fit her head.

Oh, no! she shouted. The stats are too good not to wear!

Adventurers were gathering together near the center of town in celebration. The jumped high into the air, showing off their enhanced stats. Several of their number performed feats of strength that would be impossible without Zaralis buffs. Theo inspected the new effect on the town, keeping his eyes on his flagging stamina.

[Coordinated Fire]

Anything targeted by multiple towers gains bonus damage based on the amount of towers. Each tower adds 0.1 to the damage multiplier.

It was another effect that was incredibly useful. Especially so since they placed more towers on the walls.

The impromptu party didnt last long. The monsters that lay dead outside of the walls could be taken care of the next day, and everyone that participated in the fight was exhausted. Theo and Tresk returned to the Newt and Demon shortly after the celebration started. They pressed their foreheads together and received 20% of their level in the [Tarahek Core]. It almost pushed them over the edge into level 14, coming shy by a few percentages. Theo also received a massive amount of experience in his [Governance Core], pushing him from level 4 to level 6. The core evolved to have +3 [Intelligence], but the alchemist didnt have a free point to buy any new skills.

The pair settled down to bed and fell asleep immediately. The battle might have been difficult, but the cleanup that presented itself was worse. Theo felt content in that fact, since they made such an absurd amount of money. The party went on for some time outside before it calmed down. Both companions were well asleep before that happened.