The makeshift arena erupted with sound and rushing wind so violent that it knocked each member of the group to the ground except for Pete and Coop. The former maintained his footing, crouching low as Coop was picked up by the violent gust of wind and sent hurtling through the air beside him. In one deft move, Pete shot out a hand and snatched the ferret out of the air, then pulled her into his chest as the wind continued to buffet them all.

  

  >> ACHIEVEMENT: Gale-force Ferret Fetch!

  Congratulations! Not only did you manage to hold your ground amid a powerful bluster, but you also snatched your companion ferret out of the air and saved her from what might have been a sticky end!

  >> ACHIEVEMENT REWARD: +10% Ferret Morale Boost (all ferrets within thirty feet of you will experience a slight boost in morale for the next 10 minutes).

  The wind stopped as suddenly as it had begun, filling the makeshift arena with a deafening silence that was almost as disturbing as the high-pitched whine that had preceded the change. As Pete and his companions watched, the top and bottom of the construct fell away, breaking into smaller pieces that clanged against the ground. Each metal panel seemed to rot and wither the moment it was disconnected from the larger avatar.

  Predictably, a slightly smaller construct sat in place where the larger unit had been. Instead of being portrayed dressed in a vivid purple suit, Tongsly Belch now wore a deep emerald coat and light green shirt, his darker pants sparkling with golden gems.

  [Grizzle] Help! I am...I cannot...

  Still holding Coop, Pete turned to see the goblin standing frozen in front of Craig. She wasn't simply locked in place by some invisible force, but was literally frozen, encased in a thin layer of ice and unable to move or apparently speak now that the full effect of the avatar's ability had been executed. A debuff message hovered above Grizzle's head as she stood held in place.

  

  >> PLAYER FROZEN: +30% vulnerability to all damage

  All passive buffs temporarily frozen.

  All healing is reduced by 50%.

  Craig lunged in front of Grizzle as the smaller construct began spinning, firing lasers as the previous version had done. Torgo joined the other goblin in front of Grizzle, sending gouts of flame and ash out from his hands, a grim look of determination on his face.

  The hail of laser fire cut into their flesh as Craig tried to fire but was forced back by the ferocity of the new attack. Needing to make a decision quickly, Pete hurled Coop toward the trio of goblins, firing off instructions as he drew an arrow and aimed at one of the glowing gems.

  [Pete] Keep them safe!

  [Coop] What about you?!

  [Pete] I'll manage!

  No sooner had he sent the words than a shard of laser fire bit into his right arm, catching him a glancing blow and sending pain cascading up his body. Pete ignored the sensation, drawing a flurry of arrows and firing them one after the other at speed. Not every arrow hit the mark, but at least every second arrow broke one of the gems.

  Sam surged forward, protective chains surrounding her body as she sent Wolfy in front of Pete. The hellhound growled, eyes burning with infernal heat as it hunched protectively in front of Pete. The wolf was hit over and over again, flinching and growling each time one of the laser projectiles hit it.

  [Pete] You sure you don't need Wolfy's help?

  [Sam] I'm fine, for the moment. I'm taking damage but healing at a fast enough rate that it's not causing me any trouble.

  Thankful for the protection the beast offered, Pete hunched down behind the hellhound and continued to fire arrows, slowing his firing rate a little and relying on his newly acquired evasion attribute to keep the upper part of his body from harm. A series of bright gold and crimson projectiles sprayed outward from the construct, increasing in frequency and intensity as more and more of the gems that birthed them were destroyed.

  Wolfy yelped as one of the laser shots hit it on the flank, and Pete felt a moment of guilt as the conjured creature recoiled after two more hits. Meanwhile, Coop was doing an admirable job protecting the goblins, but it was clear that they'd each suffered injuries.

  [Pete] Don't forget your medkits!

  One of the skull chains extending from Sam's hands like tentacles whipped out and shattered the final gem, prompting the construct to immediately stop spinning, its top half raising and hissing as before. Pete braced himself for the breaking of the second construct shell and, as before, a burst of rushing wind rushed out from the avatar.

  Craig, Torgo, and Coop were held fast only because Grizzle hadn't been released from her imprisonment. They clung to her stuck body as the gale whipped around them and the construct once more shed its outer shell. Pete ducked low, his heightened agility allowing him to weather the storm.

  It was only as he caught sight of Sam's panicked expression to his left that he understood the true danger they were all in. He'd wrongly assumed that, with every change the Russian nesting doll enemy underwent, whoever had been frozen previously would be released. As crystal rose around Sam's legs and climbed toward her head, Grizzle remained locked in place, however, and the full impact of that dawned on Pete.

  Sam looked at him with sorrow in her eyes as the freeze effect rose to her neck and encased her head.

  [Sam] Shit! Sorry, Pete.

  Wolfy vanished from in front of Pete, and a message appeared above Sam's head.

  

  >> PLAYER FROZEN: +30% vulnerability to all damage

  All passive buffs temporarily frozen.

  All healing is reduced by 50%.

  There was no time to react, no time to do anything other than run to Sam and stand protectively in front of her as Pete frantically tried to think of a way to tip the odds of the fight back in their favor. The smaller construct that was revealed at its outer shell once more disintegrated, stood only a little shorter than Pete, and was painted once more with an image of High Baron Tongsly Belch.

  Instead of being clothed in a suit, however, the little goblin was now portrayed wearing an old-fashioned khaki safari suit, complete with the four-pocket jacket, blunderbuss, and a pith helmet that boasted an octagonal ruby at its center. Instead of holding the gun vertically, however, the baron was painted with a grim expression, holding the blunderbuss at his shoulder and aiming outward, with a black diamond or some similar gem positioned at the middle of the gun barrel.

  Streaks of crimson, black, and gold shot from the construct as it began spinning once more, firing out of its hat and gun gems as well as the golden buttons on the figure's jacket and belt. The first volley of laser fire cut through the air surrounding Pete, missing him by a mixture of luck and his evasion attribute as he stood in front of Sam.

  [Coop] What do we do?

  Pete turned to see the ferret still struggling to protect the three goblins huddled behind her as Craig and Torgo fired on the construct.

  [Pete] Stay with them and keep Grizzle safe. Use medikits if you have to, and I'll try to take out the construct as quickly as—

  He flinched as a laser projectile cut into the flesh of his leg, followed closely by another that hit the left side of his torso. Pete held his bow and arrow, waiting for his charged shot ability to trigger as the frequency and intensity of the fire coming from the avatar increased.

  Pete triggered his Pauper's Ward every ten seconds or so, and it almost immediately burst a moment later. Glancing over at Coop, he could see that, even with her tank abilities and the more potent shields she possessed, the ferret was struggling to keep up and had already taken some damage.

  Standing in place was against every survival instinct Pete had, particularly given that the ferocity of the construct's attack seemed to increase with each transformation. But he had to stay where he was, had to shield Sam if she was going to have any hope of surviving. Pete had no idea how many phases the construct was going to go through, but if he lost Coop in the next round, the fight would likely be over.

  He fired, aiming first for the large black gem in the barrel of the blunderbuss, but went wide and cracked several of the smaller golden gems instead. The construct was spinning so swiftly, however, that he had to anticipate the cycle of each spin rather than aim directly for his target. Another result of the increased spinning speed was that the laser shot firing out of the construct now curved slightly in the air. This meant that the majority of attacks were no longer coming straight on but were hitting Pete and the others from their right side.

  Pete moved to the side, still blocking laser fire from hitting Sam as she stood frozen in place behind him, her eyes fixed on where he had been standing before the round began. He took another shot in the abdomen and felt the now-familiar pull of his berserker rage threatening to take over. He fought the change, reasoning that he'd probably need that extra burst of luck and critical strike chance in later phases of the fight. Pete also held back on using his remaining medkit, knowing that he might have to use it to keep Sam alive or to stave off his own death if things got dire.

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  He fired a second time, once more missing the black gem as Craig sent a spray of rotten coins out at the construct, peppering the lower exterior of the machine as it continued to spin. The damage was clearly visible, but it did nothing to slow the avatar's spinning or lessen the ferocity of its attack.

  Realizing that his own fire attacks were essentially ineffective against the avatar, Torgo switched to a more defensive posture, using his Ashen Veil ability to shroud himself in a protective haze of ash and fire, which mitigated the damage caused by the laser fire. Pete could still hear each time the goblins or Coop were wounded as they cried out in pain and frustration. They continued to fight, however, using every tool they had and taking out some of the smaller gems as the construct continued to spin and fire.

  Resisting the urge to charge the construct and pull out his machete, Pete held his bow and arrow, charging his shot and aiming once more for the black gem. Or rather, he aimed for the horizontal line where the black gem periodically appeared and vanished, relying on luck to hit the construct at precisely the right time to destroy the gem.

  A projectile swerved past his head, describing a curving trajectory that brought the laser fire within an inch of his right eye as it whizzed past. He wasn't sure, but Pete thought he could feel the heat from that bolt of radiation. Holding his nerve, Pete fired the shot and was rewarded by the sound of the black gemstone shattering as the entire construct shuddered and its spinning was momentarily slowed.

  Pete used the opportunity to fire at the ruby nestled on Tongsly Belch's helmet, firing several shots in rapid succession rather than waiting for his charged shot ability. The second arrow hit the mark, crashing into the ruby and cracking the gem as Craig successfully hit one of the smaller golden gems lower down on the construct.

  

  >> ARCHERY PROFICIENCY +1

  >> PAIN TOLERANCE PROFICIENCY +1

  As Pete loaded another arrow and aimed for one of the few remaining golden gems, another problem presented itself. A red arrow symbol was flashing in the top left corner of his HUD, with the number ten written in block letters.

  "Fuck!" he shouted, the realization that he was down to his last ten arrows hitting home. "Fuuuuuuuuuck!"

  [Craig] What is it?

  [Pete] I'm almost out of ammo!

  [Coop] What?

  Pete triggered his Pauper's Ward, standing in front of Sam and thinking through his ever-shrinking options.

  [Pete] Ten shots and then I'm done. Unless I can get some of my arrows back.

  He looked around the interior of the arena as Craig continued firing at the construct with his rifle. Pete saw half a dozen arrows lying nearby, but it would take time to reach them, time that would leave Sam vulnerable to attack; time that he just didn't have. He could limit himself to charged shots, of course, and that would increase the effectiveness of each shot, but he would still be limited to ten in total, and it would slow down his attack.

  Of the ten arrows available, five were Coin-Biter Drill Shafts, so it was likely they'd do more damage than the standard arrows. But more damage wouldn't do much harm to this enemy, given that Pete and his team needed to break all the gems to trigger a transition and not damage the construct as a whole. The construct seemed to be almost impervious to damage, which went beyond smashing the gems. Even Craig's Filthy Lucre ability only did surface damage, and nothing the team did seemed to affect the smaller constructs nestled inside the unit.

  The crack of gunfire echoed through the arena as Craig shot out the final gem and the construct began to slow its spinning. Pete turned around and saw that Sam had suffered damage and was bleeding from wounds on her arms and torso. Her expression hadn't changed, however, and she was still looking off at where Pete had stood before she was frozen, eyes intense.

  A health bar hovered above Sam's head, showing that it had dropped by a third or so.

  [Nero] I would suggest using the medkit while you are able, Pete.

  "But if she takes more damage on the next round, the medkit will be much more effective."

  [Nero] True, but you have seen that the enemy construct is spinning faster and firing more lethal projectiles with each transition. If you do not heal Sam now, you might not have time during the fight, and she could be lost to us.

  [Craig] I've already used mine to keep Grizzle alive. Torgo has one more medkit.

  [Coop] I've got one too.

  The avatar split apart, and its top section rose, sending out another powerful gust of wind and cutting short the conversation. Pete pulled the medkit from his inventory and pressed it against Sam's shoulder, triggering the healing and watching as half of the missing portion of the health bar was filled in.

  He turned around and saw Coop and the goblins preparing themselves while the construct shed its outer layer.

  [Coop] How many more of these are there?

  Pete shook his head.

  [Pete] No idea. But it's getting pretty small now, so surely there will only be a few.

  They watched as Torgo's body began to freeze, encased in clear blue crystal that rose from the ground upward. To his credit, the little goblin didn't panic or wave his hands about in distress. He simply looked over at Craig and nodded.

  As the rest of his body was frozen, Pete considered the newly revealed construct, which stood a little shorter than Craig. This time, Tongsly Belch was portrayed wearing a deerstalker hat and clothed in a cape and suit while he held a magnifying glass in one hand. Pete snorted with laughter at the sight. Obviously, the System or Augustus Greedwell had plundered Earth's archives and found references to Sherlock Holmes. It was utterly absurd to see painted on the surface of the avatar, but then again, nothing about the Dominion Ultrimax Contest was normal.

  [Coop] Just the three of us.

  [Pete] You stay with Craig. You've both got two people to protect now.

  [Craig] And what about your ten arrows?

  [Pete] I'll just have to use them wisely and hope there's not another construct after this one.

  Laser fire began spraying the interior of the space as the construct spun. It was moving so fast that Pete couldn't even see the large gem at the center of the magnifying glass or on Belch's hat. To make matters worse, the laser bolts now appeared to be bouncing off the shield walls and the floor, pinging back and forth so that Pete had to protect Sam not only from the front but also from behind.

  It was an impossible task, he quickly realized, as Sam began taking damage almost immediately. His only hope was to end the fight quickly, destroy the construct, and hope that this was the last round of the fight.

  That approach was made much harder because of the fact that he had only ten arrows at his disposal. He drew an arrow and waited, grunting as a laser round hit him in the same leg where he'd already sustained an injury.

  [Nero] Your Hexheart pendants are all in operation, Pete. That should give you a little healing, but it is not enough to counter the amount of damage you are receiving. The 0.01% life regeneration is also halved for all party members that are currently frozen.

  Pete fired, sending a bolt of power toward the rapidly spinning construct. He was rewarded by the sound of a large gem shattering and shards of crystal flying out from the avatar. He triggered his Pauper's Ward once more and drew another arrow.

  [Pete] What's your point?

  [Nero] You are already bleeding and will continue to take damage as this fight goes on. You need to end the encounter swiftly. I would suggest triggering your Blood Overdraft stance and entering berserker mode. It will not mitigate your injuries, but the slow time effect may allow you to recover some of your spent arrows.

  Pete fired once more, but this time the charged shot hit roughly the same spot as it had before and failed to break any of the remaining gems. He then activated his Blood Overdraft ability and felt the world suddenly shift around him, slowing to a crawl as he spotted the closest arrow lying on the ground and sprinted toward it.

  Off to Pete's left, Craig fired with his Spinshot Repeater rifle, using the miniature slot machine to trigger a shot burst of projectiles that successfully shattered two of the smaller gems on the construct's exterior. With the world slowing around him, the stream of bullets appeared to crash against the side of the avatar in slow motion.

  Pete glanced back at Sam, noting that there were several projectiles heading toward her as he ducked down to the ground and scooped up one of his spent arrows, then dropped it into his inventory. The next arrow was only a few feet away, but it brought him closer to the construct and gave him less time to react to the laser bolts that were fanning out from the machine.

  He jumped, avoiding several of the slow-moving projectiles and landing right next to the second arrow before sprinting off again. Pete kept one eye on the fifteen-second counter for his berserker stance, reasoning that he'd need to start heading back to Sam at the seven-second mark to have any hope of getting back to her before time returned to its normal pace. He scooped up a third and fourth arrow, moving in close to the construct and drawing his machete as a laser projectile cut into his right shoulder.

  This close to the construct, it was like walking through a thorn bush or trying to walk through a thick forest of cacti, where each thorn was a lethal laser bolt. There was no way to get this close without taking damage, so Pete opted for the least bad option, weaving through the swarm of projectiles and slamming the blade of his machete into the side of the construct.

  The blade shattered a small golden gem, and Pete ran around the back of the construct, carving a groove into the metal and trying to take out as many gems as possible with what little time he had. Three gems popped as the heavy machete blade cut through them. Pete rounded the construct and then sprinted back to Sam, unable to risk more time attacking up close, given that his berserker timer had already reached eight seconds and Sam's health bar had dropped just below the halfway mark.

  He ran directly for a cluster of laser bolts heading directly for Sam, interposing himself in between and pulling his bow and an arrow out to leverage off his increased damage. He summoned his Pauper's Ward, which burst the moment it made contact with the first bolt, while the two that followed ripped into his side, prompting Pete to grunt in pain as they tore through his flesh, spraying blood out into the air.

  Biting down against the pain, he aimed for the largest of the remaining gems and fired the moment his charged shot ability triggered. The shot was true, hitting the construct with so much damage that it knocked the machine back a little at the top, causing it to sway like a spinning top for a moment before it settled back into place.

  Only two or three gems remained, and between them, Pete and Craig finished these off with a series of rifle shots and arrow shafts. Pete was forced to use another three shafts to get the job done, spending all the arrows he had gathered during his berserker outing and putting him right back where he had been before the attack.

  There was no time to consider that fact, however, as the construct immediately split apart and opened up, sending a gust of wind out that was somehow stronger than the previous gusts. Even Pete was blown off his feet, forced onto his knees, blood pouring from the wounds he'd sustained.

  His berserker stance had dropped, leaving him feeling weak and barely able to stand as he moved toward Sam. During the explosive gust of wind, Coop had flown through the air and hit the green shield at the rear of the makeshift arena. She managed to summon a ward just before hitting the emerald barrier and fell hard to the ground with a loud squeak.

  "Coop?!" Pete shouted, his voice rasping, the metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

  [Coop] I'm fine. Used my shield just in—

  Pete looked up and saw the blue crystal rising up around her little ferret form.

  

  >> PLAYER FROZEN: +30% vulnerability to all damage

  All passive buffs temporarily frozen.

  All healing is reduced by 50%.

  Coop was only a few feet in front of the barrier, a good thirty feet behind him. Craig stood beside Torgo and Grizzle, both with red health bars above their heads which were less than half full.

  [Craig] I've already used my medkit. What do we do?

  Pete thought furiously, searching for some way to win, some way to defeat this boss and keep all of his people alive. No matter how he looked at the situation, that just wasn't going to be possible.

  He shook his head, looking between Coop and Sam as the construct transformed and a knee-high avatar emerged, studded with gems and already starting to spin.

  Choosing between Sam and Coop wasn't even the only problem they faced. Craig didn't possess many defensive abilities, and Pete was badly wounded. He couldn't use the Red Ledger's healing ability because of its twenty-four-hour cooldown. They were both out of medkits, and their frozen companions couldn't speak, let alone move. Pete felt his stomach begin to churn, a deep sense of hopelessness stirring.

  [Pete] Any suggestions, Nero?

  [Nero] Are you religious, Pete?