Chapter 34: Tidepool Basilisk (Part 2)

The tank moved first. He spun and lifted his shield just as the basilisk surfaced.

A water jet struck the metal almost immediately, but this time he was prepared. Daren moved beside him and braced the shield while the healer stayed close enough to support them without stepping into the acid spray.

Marcus lifted his staff. Fire gathered around the crystal again.

Lilith looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Another fire attack? Don’t tell me you don’t know any other spells."

Marcus scoffed. "Of course I do!" Then the fireball grew larger. "But I can take this puny thing down with fire. Watch."

Lilith stared at him, her lips pressed into a straight line.

The basilisk twisted. Its tail struck one of the tall mineral formations beside the pool, and a loud crack split through the cavern.

Marcus looked up. The entire formation was falling toward him.

Daren moved first. He threw himself into Marcus and drove both of them sideways just before several hundred pounds of stone crashed into the place where they had been standing.

The impact shook the floor beneath them.

Marcus hit the ground hard while Daren rolled away and immediately pushed himself back onto one knee.

The tank rounded on him.

"Focus!"

Marcus stared back, stunned enough that he didn’t answer.

The tank turned toward Lilith. "Do something!"

Her mouth tightened. For the first time since the fight began, visible irritation crossed her face.

Still, she moved. Instead of approaching the basilisk, Lilith turned and ran toward the rear wall of the chamber.

Daren looked after her.

"Where are you going?"

She ignored him.

Marcus pushed himself upright and wiped dust from his mouth.

"She’s running?"

Lilith didn’t even glance back. She reached the wall and pressed her palm flat against the stone.

Zion watched black magic gather beneath her hand. Her normal eye narrowed while the black one moved slowly across the cavern.

She was searching.

The basilisk crossed beneath one pool before gliding into another.

Lilith followed it.

The creature climbed from the water without making a sound and began moving along the wall behind the steam.

It moved higher and higher, until it reached the ceiling directly above the party.

Lilith saw it.

"There!"

Black magic surged from her palm. The cavern wall trembled as smaller rocks fell to the ground.

Suddenly, thick black chains erupted from the stone around the basilisk. Not one or two this time, but dozens.

They tore through the mineral formations and wrapped around its legs, tail, torso, and neck before tightening all at once.

The basilisk thrashed violently, but every movement only pulled the chains harder against its body.

The entire ceiling shook.

Lilith’s fingers dug against the wall. Sweat ran from her temple and disappeared beneath her jaw.

The tank looked up. His eyes widened. Then he slammed his weapon against his shield.

A sharp pulse of energy spread through the chamber.

The basilisk stopped fighting the chains. Its head snapped toward him.

Zion realized what happened.

He taunted it.

The boss’s attention locked onto the tank.

"Now! Attack it!"

Daren rushed forward. He climbed onto one of the lower rock formations and jumped, driving his sword into the basilisk’s side before the creature could pull away.

The blade slipped between two scales and sank deep enough to make the basilisk roar.

The chains strained. Lilith’s shoulders shook beneath the effort.

Marcus raised his staff.

Fire gathered around it again.

Lilith looked over, unable to deal with his petty pride. Her palm remained pressed hard against the wall while sweat covered her brow, and one of her knees had started to tremble beneath the strain.

"For fuck’s sake! Use a different spell!"

Marcus ignored her and continued feeding mana into the growing fireball. Then he glanced toward the tank.

The man was staring directly at him over the edge of his shield.

Marcus hesitated. The flames around his staff flickered. And finally, a second later, they disappeared.

Blue-white electricity began crawling along the crystal instead. Lilith’s black eye widened slightly.

Daren saw what Marcus was doing and twisted the sword deeper into the wound.

"Here!"

Marcus aimed.

The lightning struck. A brilliant flash filled the cavern as the spell hit exactly where Daren’s sword had pierced the basilisk’s scales.

The creature convulsed. Its roar shook the chamber.

Lilith’s chains pulled tight one last time. Then her legs gave out. Her hand slid down the wall as she collapsed onto one knee, and the black chains immediately began fading around the basilisk.

Zion’s attention snapped toward her.

The basilisk tore one leg free, then the next. But the party was already moving.

Daren ripped his sword free and struck the wound again before the creature could recover, while the tank rushed beneath it and slammed his shield upward into its jaw.

The healer moved with them. Golden light spread around both men, repairing enough of their injuries to keep them on their feet.

Marcus raised his staff again. This time, he didn’t hesitate. Another bolt of lightning struck the same wound.

The basilisk’s body seized. Its claws lost their grip. For one brief moment, the massive creature hung from the last fading chains above them.

Then it fell.

Everyone scattered to avoid being crushed.

The basilisk crashed into the center of the chamber hard enough to shake another shower of dust from the ceiling.

It tried its best to rise. One front leg pushed against the stone before buckling beneath its weight.

Daren moved beside the tank, then both attacked together. The sword entered beneath the basilisk’s jaw as the tank drove the edge of his shield into the side of its skull.

The creature shuddered. Then its body went still. For several seconds, the only sounds in the cavern came from everyone’s breathing and the quiet bubbling of the sulfur pools.

Pale light spread across the basilisk. Its body dissolved slowly into glowing particles, beginning at the tail before traveling through its torso and head.

A notification appeared in front of Zion.

[Floor 2 Cleared.]

[Clear Essence Acquired: 100]

Zion barely looked at it. His attention had already returned to Lilith. She was still kneeling beside the wall with one hand pressed against the stone for support.

The black color had begun fading from her right eye, returning slowly from the edges inward while several strands of hair clung to the sweat along her cheek.

The healer noticed her a moment later.

"Lilith!"

She hurried across the chamber and crouched beside her.

Lilith lifted one hand.

"I’m fine."

"You fell."

"I’m tired."

The healer stayed beside her anyway.

Across the room, Marcus lowered his staff.

Daren dropped onto the nearest piece of stone to catch his breath, while the tank rested the bottom of his shield against the floor and rolled one aching shoulder.

Zion barely glanced at any of them. He was still watching Lilith. She had been the one to find the basilisk when no one else could see it. She had been the one to hold it still long enough for the others to finally attack.

He had first noticed her because she was beautiful. Then because she used black magic.

Now he was curious about her.