Chương 12: You Have Grown Weaker, It Seems

The chamber beyond the doors stretched into a vast and breathtaking expanse, so meticulously preserved that not even a single speck of dust marred its surfaces. A broad stone bridge connected the entrance to an enormous circular platform suspended above a void that seemed to swallow all light, while thick black streams of liquid continuously poured from the distant ceiling in slow, endless cascades.

At the very center of that platform stood a woman of such striking beauty that Gloria felt her breath catch for a moment. She was nearly as tall as Bar, yet the sheer presence radiating from her made her seem twice his size, her form wrapped in clothing of such grandeur that golden lines traced every contour of her body.

Horns also rose from her head in size that rivalled Gloria's own, and her skin was an almost unnatural pale white, while her eyes were solid fields of blood red without a single iris to break the color. The opening of the doors had clearly drawn her attention, for a ring of blood immediately slipped free from her wrist and began to orbit her body. She offered no words, yet Gloria needed none to be certain.

'There was a seal of some kind on those doors… was someone trying to keep her locked away?' The thought flickered through Gloria's mind as she studied the figure more carefully. This was without question the same Echidna she had known from the game, and the fact that she still lived filled Gloria with relief. She had half expected other players from DDO to have claimed the kill long ago, yet here the Mother of All Monsters remained, perfectly intact and waiting.

Behind her the Archer had gone completely still, their earlier composure shattered by the sight of the woman on the platform. Fear and amazement mixed in equal measure across their posture.

"Listen carefully, Archer," Gloria called without turning.

"This enemy stands far beyond anything you should face at present. Yet she is known for surrounding herself with powerful minions, and it is those lesser creatures that I would ask you to engage on my behalf."

"R-Right!" the Archer answered. Even through the mask concealing their face, Gloria could almost picture the determined smile hidden beneath it.

"Just remember everything I told you." Gloria replied without taking her eyes off Echidna.

"Trust the spell I placed on you, and don't hesitate to rely on it if things become dangerous."

"Obviously," the Archer answered, drawing an arrow from the quiver with hands that trembled only slightly before nocking it against the bowstring.

"I'm brave, Lady Gloria... not suicidal." Despite the joke, Gloria found herself strangely uneasy. She still could not understand why the Archer had insisted on remaining at her side after every opportunity to leave had been presented to them. The sensible decision would have been to follow Rali and Bar deeper into the cave, gather whatever treasures could be found, and walk away wealthier than when they had entered. Then again, perhaps the answer was simpler than she was trying to make it. Experience.

The stronger the opponent, the greater the reward awaiting anyone fortunate enough to survive its defeat, and there were few creatures in all of DDO capable of rivaling the Mother of All Monsters. Even contributing a small amount during the battle could launch someone's level forward by an absurd margin.

Gloria had not even bothered checking the Archer's current level, though the defensive magic she had wrapped around them earlier should be more than enough to keep them alive so long as they remained exactly where they were supposed to. The Archer did precisely that, planting their feet beside the entrance just as they had agreed beforehand, while Gloria stepped onto the ancient stone bridge and made her way toward the circular platform. At least, she remained silent until Gloria crossed the halfway point.

"Who approaches Echidna?" The woman's voice rolled effortlessly through the enormous chamber. Gloria's eyebrows lifted almost immediately.

'Speaking in the third person? Wait, why is she speaking at all?' That certainly wasn't something she remembered, and stranger still was the fact that she was speaking at all. Throughout every raid she had ever participated in, Echidna had never uttered a single dialog option. She had always been little more than an incredibly elaborate boss encounter, and yet the woman standing before her carried herself with the composure of royalty calmly addressing an unexpected guest.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Gloria certainly wasn't about to waste an opportunity like this.

"So you can speak, Echidna? I have to admit, I never imagined you to be the sociable type." The towering woman remained exactly where she was.

"There exist few reasons for Echidna to waste words upon filthy mortals. Now answer. How are you in this place?" That question forced Gloria to hesitate.

'How am I here?' She frowned, more confused than anything, because the question itself made very little sense.

"What is the meaning of a such question? Have you not had many visitors before?" She spread one hand casually toward the chamber surrounding them.

"People have been walking into this arena long before I ever arrived. Surely you've seen thousands of adversaries by now." A grin slowly found its way onto her face.

"Or have you finally gone senile after spending so long underground?" Instead of responding immediately, Echidna slowly raised a hand to her lips, revealing nails so unnaturally long and sharp that they resembled polished daggers more than fingers.

"That False King truly defeated and sealed Echidna..." she murmured, sounding less furious than deeply inconvenienced.

"How irritating... to lose against such a shameless cheater." The amusement disappeared from Gloria's face almost instantly.

'A False King?' Echidna wasn't reciting some forgotten piece of flavor text. She was recalling something that had actually happened to her.

"And who exactly are you talking about?" Gloria asked, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer.

"Who sealed you... and when?" Echidna finally looked directly at her again, whatever distant thoughts had occupied her vanishing so completely that the change was almost unsettling.

"Silence, filth." The words had barely finished echoing through the chamber before she snapped her fingers. In response, a violent force burst through the arena without warning, feeling like the wind, but in truth being more like invisible hands seizing the Archer where they stood and violently tearing them off their feet.

"W-What?! Lady Gloria!" They let out a startled cry as their body hurtled through the air, arms flailing wildly while the bow nearly slipped from their grasp, instinct alone keeping it secured. Gloria exploded upwards, the bridge fracturing beneath her launch as she hurled herself into the air and intercepted the Archer before they could be dragged any farther, wrapping one arm around their waist while twisting her body to absorb the momentum before both of them crashed back.

But before they even came down, Gloria's attention had already returned to Echidna, unwilling to give the monster another opening after witnessing how quickly she could exploit even the smallest distraction. But even in that short time, proved to be an opening she exploited.

During those few stolen seconds, Echidna had finished preparing whatever spell she had begun, and now a monstrous arrow hung suspended above her outstretched hand, its shaft formed entirely from boiling blood that churned as though alive while torrents of orange fire erupted across its surface until the entire projectile glowed like molten steel fresh from a forge.

The sheer heat pouring from it distorted the air between them, causing the distant walls to ripple like reflections upon water, yet Echidna herself displayed no strain whatsoever. She simply lowered her arm, signifying the start of the attack. The projectile vanished with a deafening crack, crossing the chamber so quickly that Gloria barely saw it move before it was already upon them.

'Holy crap!' The attack slammed into the two of them with enough force to shake the entire platform, detonating into a colossal eruption of superheated steam. Echidna watched the explosion unfold before turning her back on the rising vapor.

"As expected." she murmured, already dismissing the matter as settled. A sharp snap of her fingers caused the massive stone doors behind her to grind open once more, and a slow, almost luxurious breath escaped her lips.

"Finally… after so many years, Echidna is once again able to walk free. How thoroughly I shall make you suffer for this, oh False King—" The rest of her monologue died unfinished as the sound of exploding stone tore through the chamber from behind. Gloria burst from the heart of the steam, her expression still locked in that same delighted grin and her body completely unmarked by the attack that should have reduced both of them to dust.

She charged straight toward her enemy with terrifying speed, the ground cracking further beneath each of her strides. Echidna reacted at once, thrusting one arm forward so that the orbiting ring of blood around her wrist extended into a thick, thrashing tentacle that lashed out to intercept the incoming dragon. Gloria simply pointed her own arm ahead, claws extending into a single razor-sharp spear that met the bloody construct head-on.

The tentacle burst apart upon impact, the liquid scattering uselessly across the platform while Gloria never slowed. Echidna tried to leap backward, yet the distance she gained vanished in an instant. Gloria was already past her, a single clawed hand slicing across the pale cheek and drawing a thin line of bright red blood. A low, animalistic growl rolled from Echidna's throat as she staggered, one hand rising to the wound.

"You worm… what sort of physical power is that?" Gloria paid the words no attention. The single drop of blood that had landed across her claws was all she had truly wanted. She closed her fist tightly, smearing the crimson across her palm, and whispered the command she had been waiting to use since the moment the doors opened. [Analyze] The blood began to glow, lifting free of her scales in a swirling ribbon of light that expanded into a translucent screen floating before her eyes.

The familiar layout of a raid-boss status window unfurled, and as Gloria's gaze raced across the numbers her grin only widened further. Exactly as she had begun to suspect with every other creature in this world, Echidna had not grown stronger over the centuries. She had grown weaker. ───────────────────────────── STATUS: Name: Echidna Title: Mother of All Monsters Level: 1158 EXP: 12, 503/958, 000 HP: 905, 500 MANA: 6, 533, 210 ─────────────────────────────