Chương 56: Gym Rats vs Bat-bear

One thing was for sure. The Gym Rats couldn't stay put in one place. Not while a bat-bear was in the process of actively sniffing them out. There was nothing for it. They had to follow Rowan's lead—pick a direction and go. As they moved, however, they did everything they could to make life difficult for their pursuer. PINION CLEARSHOUT cast: Spike Growth. A carpet of thorny vines sprouted from nowhere, then just as quickly faded into the rocks and crystals that made up the cave's natural terrain.

A camouflaged trap that would require a [Perception] check to detect. With any luck, the Bat-bear would step in it and incur some modest damage before it even reached the party. The hope, therefore, was that the monster had spec'd into [Strength] at the expense of [Wisdom]. But not too much [Strength], Jordan mused wryly, honestly amazed that he'd managed to remain relatively calm. Otherwise, those claws would hit ridiculously hard …

"Don't panic." Out loud, he addressed the group as a whole. A bit rich coming from the lone non-spellcaster of the group, perhaps, but you wouldn't know it from the way the other Gym Rats straightened up and listened.

"We all knew this might be a possibility, and we're prepared for it. Just gotta do everything as we rehearsed, and we'll be home free."

"Taking down a Bat-bear… us! Just imagine!" This from a nervously smiling Pewter. The rebellious Tetherer certainly had a thrill-seeking side to him, which on this occasion served to juice up the party's collective mood.

"We'll be talking about this day forever, and there's no one else I'd rather have beside me than you five!" Let's just hope we all get through the day in one piece, Jordan thought but didn't voice. No point throwing cold water on the fire that burned within each of the Gym Rats. Or, in Jordan's case, on the [Dawg] that was barking to be let out. Several more forks with no markers. Several more recasts of [Spike Growth]. And several more navigational 'dice rolls' with the hope that it'll all work out in the end.

Encouragingly, the ground beneath the party appeared to be sloping up. Which, by the most basic logic, should mean that they were getting closer to the surface. And then it happened again. The sound of rushing water. Followed by a storm of screeching bats and leathery wings. This one came from the opposite direction, coming back from the surface for seconds. But the Gym Rats had already been 'marked'… which must mean that this second attack had a second purpose." Bramble, you're up!"

Jordan bellowed, even as he struggled to keep his feet against the barrage.

"As soon as the storm passes, give us—" BRAMBLE OLDMOON cast: Greater Barrier. Greater Barrier's HP set to: 40. A dome of powder-blue energy spread out from the burly Thaumaturge, its radius large enough to house all six party members. And not a moment too soon. For as soon as the bat-storm had passed… Bat-bear cast: Vicious Claws. An enormous shadow jumped out from the darkness of the lower cave. It'd timed its attack with its onrushing minions, no doubt banking on its prey being too distracted to put up a fight.

The ploy might well have worked, were it not for— Greater Barrier lost: 38 HP. —Bramble's protective dome tanking the first hit! The momentary stalemate proved crucial. It allowed the Gym Rats to put their own plan into action. While, for Jordan in particular, it was a chance to take in the owlbear-but-bat in its full, fearsome glory. <Monster Sheet> Name: Bat-bear Class: Battlemaster, Lv. 18 Vessel: Gland of Echoing Menace Hulking mass of muscle, fur, and leathery spikes.

Claws sharper and deadlier than those belonging to the grizzliest bears from Jordan's world. All topped off by the grotesquely magnified head of a vampire bat—squashed snout, glinting incisors, not to mention prominent triangular ears flared and attuned to every movement inside the Bat-bear's cave lair. Awesome, Jordan couldn't help but marvel, even as he gulped down paralyzing fears. Credit where credit is due, because the devs really cooked on this design!

But the game waited for no one's geek-out session, and the fight went on as it must. And as the Bat-bear raised its bear paw for a second attack… TAISON of HUNDRED SPRINGS cast: Taunt. Bat-bear has been Taunted. Threat held by TAISON of HUNDRED SPRINGS. The Speedster hopped out of the [Greater Barrier]'s protection, the better to draw the enemy's attention away from the rest of the party. He then put his [Dexterity]-spec'd Agility to maximum use, quickly loading up a second spell.

TAISON of HUNDRED SPRINGS cast: Longstrider. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Taison sped up. The Bat-bear spun to give chase. And as soon as the monster had turned its back… PINION CLEARSHOUT cast: Greater Thorn Whip. In Vesselia, a caster could choose to spend extra VR to enhance certain spells into their [Greater] or [Enhanced] version. In this case, a single [Whip] was upgraded to a multi-hit flurry—a [Thorny] gauntlet for the Taunted Bat-bear to run through.

Bat-bear lost: 10 HP, 8 HP, 6 HP, 4 HP, 10 HP, 3 HP, … Including the chip damage from [Spike Growth], Dendromancer Pinion was the only one to have put a dent in the Bat-bear so far. That was soon to change, provided the Gym Rats could execute their plan to perfection. To that end, Taison had already started them off, baiting the enemy further down the corridor. And as the Bat-bear lunged at the Speedster with another cast of [Vicious Claws]… TAISON of HUNDRED SPRINGS cast: Misty Step. Balls of steel.

Feet of lightning. The Speedster dodged the attack and spun 180 degrees in the same maneuver. He then took his [Long Strides] back up the corridor, headed toward the rest of the party. The Bat-bear proved single-minded in its pursuit, careening off some crystals to change direction before bounding toward the Gym Rats at speed. It's unfair, Jordan had time to muse, a thing this big shouldn't be able to move this fast! Then again, the bigger they were, the harder they fell. As to be demonstrated by…

PEWTER SAPLING cast: Snare. The base form of the spell for a single target. Tetherer Pewter's rope unfurled across the narrow passage, catching the Bat-bear by its bear feet and sending it crashing into the ground. Crystals shattered. Stalactites fell from the ceiling. But more importantly… Bat-bear lost: 18 HP. Bat-bear Affliction: Stun." Now!" There it was. The Gym Rats' biggest chance to put the fight to bed. Porter Rowan led the charge, and not before casting [Bull's Strength] to buff his [Spear]-based damage.

Bat-bear lost: 13 HP, 7 HP, 4 HP, 12 HP, … Jordan was right back in the thick of things, ganging up on the Bat-bear with a few [Spear] stabs of his own. His damage was painfully modest compared to Rowan's, but right now, the party needed all hands on deck. Needed to use this hard-won window to whittle down the last of the enemy's HP. Bat-bear lost: 6 HP, 8 HP, 14 HP, … Surely, this had to work! Surely, not even the fearsome Bat-bear could take this many hits and still… Bat-bear cast: Greater Vicious Claws.

The stun window had come and gone, but the Bat-bear was still alive! And the first thing it did was give the Gym Rats a taste of their own medicine: [Vicious Claws] powered up and converted into an AOE flurry. ROWAN of BLUE RIVER lost: 25 HP. PINION CLEARSHOUT lost: 15 HP. TAISON of HUNDRED SPRINGS lost: 19 HP. PEWTER SAPLING lost: 18 HP. JORDAN YU lost: 25 HP. Even when mitigated by [Standard Issue Brigandine], the damage was nothing to sneeze at!

Especially true for Jordan's friends, who lacked the sizable HP buffer from maxing out 30 levels. This could go south very quickly, unless the Gym Rats found a way to regroup and finish the job. But then… Bat-bear activated Battlemaster Feat: Action Surge. Bat-bear cast: Vampiric Claws. Bat-bear healed for: 25 HP, 15 HP, 19 HP, 18 HP, 25 HP. For one moment, the Gym Rats could only stand and stare, aghast. The Lv.

18 Battlemaster had activated [Action Surge], a powerful Feat that allowed even a low-DEX caster to chain-cast two spells in one action. The vampire bat portion of the Bat-bear now sucked up all the lifeblood its [Claws] had gouged out, thus healing for upwards of 100 HP! The Gym Rats had been so close to winning the fight. Yet now, things looked more hopeless than ever. Just then, Thaumaturge Bramble jumped out of his [Barrier], no doubt to offer the party some healing support.

But as each member of the Gym Rats struggled to rouse themselves for round two… Bat-bear cast: Ultrasonic Fright. This was it. The ultimate evidence that a Bat-bear was indeed a Bat- bear and not just an owlbear-but-bat. Jordan didn't hear anything. None of the Gym Rats did. But their enemy certainly opened its vampiric mouth wide and screamed. A sound beyond the human's audible range, but certainly well within their capacity to experience… ROWAN of BLUE RIVER Affliction: Fear. PINION CLEARSHOUT Affliction: Fear.

TAISON of HUNDRED SPRINGS Affliction: Fear. PEWTER SAPLING Affliction: Fear. BRAMBLE OLDMOON Affliction: Fear. One by one, the Gym Rats fell to their knees all around Jordan. While [Fear] was active, they were unable to attack or even approach the enemy. And should the sixth and last member of the party fall to the same Affliction, it would pretty much signal game over. But then… Survival DC 16: success JORDAN YU resisted: Fear. Vesselia's take on the saving throw!

In this case, Jordan's WIS of 25 made him immune to the Bat-bear's fear-mongering ways. Sometimes, it really did pay to be max-level (and emotionally mature, to boot)! The upshot was that Jordan Yu was the last Gym Rat standing. There was nothing for it. He and his 199 points of remaining HP would have to go mano-a-mano with the fearsome Bat-bear. And he would have to survive too, at least for as long as it took for his friends to get back on their feet. Jordan held out his [Spear] and squared up to the enemy.

No dialogue option to give him an out he would never take. Yet, as a devoted Vesselia player, he would never say no to a dice roll to affirm his action. [Strength and Constitution DC 21 (Very Hard)] Conquer your fears and face the beast.