Chapter 53: Gareth’s Team vs The Basilisk (Part 2)

Gareth moved the moment the basilisk hit the ground.

"Over here!"

A pulse of energy spread outward from his shield, and the basilisk’s head snapped toward him. Its pupils narrowed as Zion recognized the skill for what it was.

A taunt.

The creature tried to turn toward the nearest pool, but Gareth slammed his shield against the stone and shouted again, forcing its attention back onto him. For a second, the basilisk froze.

Then its entire body tensed. A deep growl rolled through the chamber as the muscles along its back tightened, and Zion leaned forward slightly.

It had entered an enraged state.

The basilisk charged forward. Gareth barely caught the first strike against his shield. The second forced him backward, his boots sliding across the wet stone, and the third nearly tore the shield from his arm.

"June!"

"I’m on it!"

She raised both hands, but this time she did not immediately begin healing. Light spread outward from her instead, washing over the entire party.

Gareth’s posture steadied almost immediately. Mara’s hands moved faster as she nocked another arrow, while Elias straightened beside her and tightened his grip around his staff.

Zion watched closely.

That must be some sort of buff.

June had stopped waiting for someone to get hurt before reacting. Instead, she was strengthening the entire party before the basilisk could wear them down.

Elias seemed to reach the same conclusion about his own role.

Fire was useless, so he stopped using it. He raised his staff and sent a narrow blast of wind toward the basilisk’s front legs.

The creature staggered.

Mara’s next arrow struck its shoulder a heartbeat later, and Gareth followed with a heavy blow from his shield.

The basilisk twisted violently and nearly broke free of the taunt, but Elias reacted before it could reach the water. Another blast of wind struck from the opposite side and threw off its footing.

Mara dropped the bow. Her daggers were already in her hands before the basilisk hit the ground, and she rushed forward without waiting for another command.

Zion watched the four of them move around the creature with very little need for instruction now.

Gareth kept its attention focused on him. June maintained the buffs and only healed when someone actually needed it. Elias used wind to disrupt the basilisk’s footing and keep it away from the pools.

Mara attacked whatever opening the others created.

That was what made the difference.

None of them were individually strong enough to overwhelm the basilisk, but together they did not need to be.

Zion had designed monsters around the same idea. A weak unit in the right position could become dangerous. A simple trap became much stronger when another trap forced someone toward it.

Gareth’s party was doing the same thing with themselves.

The basilisk lunged toward Gareth again. This time, he stepped aside at the last moment.

Elias was already waiting. A blast of wind struck the creature across the flank and pushed it directly into Mara’s path.

She surged forward. Her dagger flashed across its throat.

The basilisk froze.

For one second, nothing happened. Then its entire body disappeared into pale smoke.

The chamber went quiet.

Mara remained crouched with one dagger still raised in front of her. Elias slowly lowered his staff, while June let both arms fall to her sides.

Gareth stood several feet away with his shield hanging loosely from one hand.

No one moved.

Then Mara let out a tired laugh. "We did it!"

Elias bent forward and planted both hands on his knees. "We actually did."

June smiled as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I thought it was going to get back into the water again."

"So did I," Mara admitted as she stood.

Even Gareth let out a long breath that sounded suspiciously close to a laugh.

They were exhausted. Gareth’s armor was scratched, their clothes were damp from the steam, and Elias looked like he would happily lie down on the floor if no one stopped him.

But they had won.

Zion sat back slowly against the throne. He was impressed. Not because any one of them had done something overwhelming, but because every time one strategy failed, someone else adapted and filled the gap.

They trusted each other. That trust had made them much stronger than any one of them would have been alone.

A chest appeared near the center of the room. Mara straightened immediately. The exhaustion disappeared from her face so quickly that Zion almost laughed.

"Loot!"

Gareth looked over at her. "Don’t."

She was already running. Mara dropped to her knees beside the chest and lifted the lid while the others walked over at a much slower pace.

A bronze shield rested inside.

Even from Zion’s view, it looked better than the basic equipment most adventurers carried into the dungeon. The metal had been polished smooth, and a faint pattern curled around the outer rim.

Mara lifted it with both hands, turning it once as she examined the face of the shield.

Then she looked over at Gareth.

For once, she didn’t even pretend she wanted it for herself.

"For you, Leader~"

Gareth blinked before reaching out to take it. For a brief moment, his usual calm expression changed.

His eyes lit up. He turned the shield over once, tested the weight, then ran one hand along the edge.

"The rewards in this dungeon are definitely good."

Zion stared at him. That was a compliment. A small sense of satisfaction started to settle in before he looked back toward the shield and another thought immediately pushed it aside.

Wait.

He opened the Tidepool Basilisk’s loot table.

The Pendant of Lesser Sanctuary appeared in his mind, then the Silver Nightglass Bracelet.

Zion scanned the list much more carefully this time.

Common weapons.

Armor.

Potions.

Materials.

Bronze shield.

He stopped. There it was. He checked the entry again just to make sure, then finally relaxed against the throne.

Good.

He had not accidentally given away another item worth several hundred essence.

Across the chamber, Gareth was still inspecting the shield while Mara leaned over one shoulder and Elias commented on something carved along the rim.

Zion looked back at the loot table. If the rewards in his dungeon were considered good, then what did other dungeons give? He had never really thought about it before.

He suddenly found himself genuinely curious about what sort of rewards the other dungeon lords gave out in their dungeons.