Reborn as a Fire Mage!, page 22
I quickly purchased the option at 12,000 reward points—the launcher attached to the underbelly of the plasma turret barrel. I had no clue how to fire out the grenades. I found a small control pad in the middle. It turned out to be extremely simple to use the plasma grenades. The screen had the potential to display several choices, but the only options at this point were plasma rounds or plasma grenades.
In order to use the grenades, you simply press the plasma grenade option then the trigger to the turret would fire the grenades instead of the plasma rounds. It was no surprise that the grenade ammo was more expensive than the regular plasma round. Fifty grenades had the hefty price tag of 5,000 reward points. I decided to cut that amount in half and purchase twenty-five grenades for 2,500 reward points. I hollered down below for all the girls to come and check out the new improvements on the vehicle. I mainly wanted each of them to learn to use the grenade launcher. If the Call of Duty video games told me anything, they told me that you had to shoot a grenade launcher in an arc trajectory. Firing the grenades straight would just cause the grenade to impact the ground prematurely.
I opened the gate to the compound and drove the Bulldog out front. The plains were surprisingly clear of fiends at the moment. I cut off the engine and made my way up the ladder to the turret excitedly.
“Girls, we’ve got grenades now. Check it out,” I shouted with a proud nod. I chose a small boulder 40 yards away from my position. I looked through the sites of the weapon to notice that the sights had changed since I chose the grenade launcher option. The reticule would make hitting things a lot easier. Without the special sight, hitting enemies or objects would be a trial and error process that would waste precious ammo. Using the new sight, I was ready to fire my first plasma grenade at the boulder. I squeezed the trigger slowly, and a volleyball-sized ball of plasma fired from the launcher in an arc trajectory.
“Come on, come on,” I said under my breath as if I was willing the grenade to hit the boulder.
The sights of the gun were extremely accurate, as was my aim. The boulder received a direct hit dead center by the grenade launcher. The boulder didn’t explode, but I was sure I caused some cracks. I invited each girl up to the turret to give the new weapon option a spin. Each of the girls caught on quickly. Unsurprisingly, Boz was the best shot of the four of them. I replenished the grenades that we used and parked the Bulldog back in place behind the walls of the refuge. We were ready.
The countdown ended, and the world boss had Leviathan spawned. According to the map, the beast was a good twenty miles north. I took the wheel this time because I wanted to get there before any other transient had a chance to take the boss out. The girls were quiet on our drive toward the boss. They were nervous. Their faces did not hide that whatsoever. I was worried too. From the descriptions of Echo, this thing was going to be terrifying and put up quite the fight.
“Everyone all right,” I broke the silence inside the rumbling Bulldog.
“I’m not going to lie. I’m fucking scared,” Lola replied bluntly.
“It’s okay to be scared. I’m nervous myself,” I replied as I looked in the rearview mirror at the concerned brown-haired cat girl.
“You’re scared too? You can’t be scared! You’re leading us into battle! Now I’m more scared because you’re scared. Fuck!” Lola shouted as the Bulldog bounced, causing her almost to slam her head into the ceiling. “What the fuck, Mason?”
I had my focus on Lola and drove the Bulldog into a large pothole in the road. “Sorry,” I said with gritted teeth.
Piper chuckled from the seat beside me.
“What the heck are you laughing at, blondie? You should have told me I was going to hit a fucking crater in the road!” I smirked.
Piper poked out her bottom lip. “I’m sorry, honey.” Piper reached over and grabbed my nuts through my pants.
I jerked the wheel to the left, taking us onto the shoulder. “Whoa, shit.”
“Piper let go of his cock so he can drive. He can’t do two things at once,” Lola shouted.
“Well, isn’t that a shame,” Scarlett interjected with a devilish grin.
Lola burst out in laughter. “I totally got what you were saying. That was a good one. I was going to ask you if you wanted to have a threesome with Mason, but I thought it would be awkward. Thanks for giving me an in.”
“Sure, I would love that,” Scarlett replied with sultry eyes.
“Awesome. You’re so fucking hot, Scarlett. You don’t even know,” Lola replied with an enthusiastic clap.
“Wait, I want a threesome too!” Piper said with anger.
“Well, you can have one,” Lola rolled her eyes.
“I’m not fucking Mason with my sister in the bed. That’s just disgusting.”
“I know. I mean, I’m sure Scarlett can pencil you in for a slot sometime soon. She’s booked right now…with me.”
Scarlett giggled. “Yes, Piper. My schedule is full right now, but I’m sure I can squeeze you in soon.”
Boz broke her silence. “I am perplexed by this discussion.”
The three other girls began to laugh. Boz was new on the block, and all this sex talk had to be uncomfortable and confusing for the lizard girl.
“Ladies, ladies, can we please focus? The target on the map isn’t too much further,” I announced.
The conversation grew quiet as we rumbled down the road to battle. We were going to see Leviathan as soon as we crested the hill we ascended. My heart began to pound faster and faster. I pumped the brakes then halted the Bulldog for a quick pep talk.
I pointed in front of the vehicle. “The monster is over this hill.”
“What are we going to do?” Lola asked with terrified eyes.
“I’m going to drive us over the crest to get a better look. Scarlett is going to man the plasma turret. You, Piper, and Boz are going to take shots out the window. Got it?”
The girls agreed in unison. Scarlett climbed the ladder and slowly opened the heavy steel hatch. Bright light from the sun poured into the back of the Bulldog, causing us all to squint and our eyes hurt from the sudden blast from the sun. I slowly pressed the gas pedal, but I pushed harder. The Bulldog was heavier since I upgraded the armor, and going up the hill didn’t help matters.
“Shit!” I slammed on the brakes and opened the driver’s side door.
“What the fuck, Mason?” Piper shouted.
“Just a second, nothing’s wrong. I just want to check something,” I popped open the hood, and an engine menu popped into my vision. Upgrading the engine power to level two was priced at 15,000 reward points. I took a couple of deep breaths and selected the upgrade. I slammed the hood and darted back to my seat, and pressed the ignition. The more powerful engine turned over quicker and roared like an awoken beast from deep within the earth. I hit the accelerator, and the Bulldog caught purchase on the road, and the vehicle moved forward without a care in the world.
My jaw dropped to my lap when I caught my first glance at the world boss. It was thirty to forty yards in length from head to tail. It looked thirty feet in height with the body of an armored grizzly bear and the head of an alligator. It was tearing people to shreds and chowing down on many as well. These people came to take him out, but the opposite was occurring. Lots of corpses scattered the countryside. From what I saw, we were the only challengers with a vehicle.
“Gods, look at all of the carnage,” Boz said in awe.
“There are fucking bodies everywhere,” Lola added.
“Are you ready, Scarlett?” I asked the succubus through the communicator behind my ear.
“Yes, Mason. I’m ready.”
“Alright, I’m going to circle the beast, and you guys shoot it. Go for the head, neck, and underbelly. Make every shot count. Got it?”
The girls shouted that they understood, and I made my approach. The engine roared as we made our way toward the Leviathan. “Get some shots in while it’s fighting those people. Maybe we can get some damage before he notices us.”
Scarlett let loose on the plasma turret. I watched bright plasma rounds streak toward the world boss. Many of the rounds hit the beast in the neck. The beast screeched in pain and then stood to its hind legs. The Leviathan was enormous and even more imposing standing on two feet. Scarlett and the others took the opportunity to fire everything they had in the exposed underbelly. The girls' aim was impressive. I didn’t think a single shot missed the mark. The beast dropped back to all fours, crushing nearby attackers with its massive feet. One man began his retreat only to be smacked by the tail of the Leviathan. The tip of the tail had spikes that impaled the man. The corpse stayed attached to its tail as it began to focus on the Bulldog that circled it. Lola and Piper were getting sloppy with their shots. Rounds upon rounds hit the beast in its armored back, which didn’t faze it one bit.
“Sorry, it's hard to get good shots bouncing all over the place. Fuck!” Piper shouted in frustration.
“You guys are doing great. Keep it up,” I replied.
I decided to go in just a little bit closer. I was close enough that the beast was selected in my vision, and I saw an HP bar over the top of him, just like a boss in a video game. “Do you guys see his life bar too?”
“Is that what that is?” Lola asked as she tried to fill her lungs with air.
“Yes, it tells you how much health the Leviathan has. When the bar is empty, the monster dies. Understand?”
“Wow, we still have a ways to go,” Scarlett replied from the roof. “The turret is getting too hot from the gunfire. I need to let it cool a bit. I’ll equip my rifle while I wait. Boz can come up here. There’s space now that I’m not using the turret. I’m sure she can get some better shots from here. ”
“Yes, Scarlett,” Boz replied as she dashed up the ladder in record time. The beast charged toward the Bulldog and narrowly missed us with its huge maw.
“Shit, that was close,” I yelled and glanced in the rearview.
“Mason. We can’t get enough damage. He won’t give us an opening to shoot his belly. Oh fuck, he’s running after us! Go faster!” Piper panicked.
I stomped the gas pedal to the floor and picked up more speed, but it wasn’t a lot more. Had I not upgraded the engine, we would be in deep shit. Hell, we may still be in deep shit. This thing was fast. An idea crossed my mind. Let me rephrase that a terrible idea crossed my mind.
“Get ready to light him up! Hold on!”
I slowed a bit and turned the wheel hard to the left. The girls screamed in terror as we went on two wheels.
“What the fuck Mason, what the fuck?” Piper growled. I stomped on the gas, and we were on a collision course with the Leviathan.
I pointed at the Leviathan and shook my finger. “Scarlett! Boz! Go for the eyes! Now!”
“The turret's ready again. Switching to grenades! Firing now!” Scarlett announced. “Boz, what the hell are you doing!”
After the words left Scarlett’s mouth, I heard light footsteps on the roof, and the lizard girl dropped onto the hood of the Bulldog. She crouched and began firing arrows as a barrage of plasma grenades from the launcher smacked the beast in the face. Somehow Boz was staying on the hood of the Bulldog, defying the laws of physics. Boz launched an arrow that went into the monster’s mouth and impacted the back of its throat. It screeched, opening its mouth wider, allowing two plasma grenades to enter. As the grenades exploded in the mouth of the beast, it rose to its hind legs. Blood and smoke spewed from the mouth of the world boss.
“Dammit, Mason and I can’t get a shot with you going directly at the creature! Fuck it!” Piper shouted as she leaned the top half of her body out the window to get a shot. Lola sighed loudly but followed suit and hung out of the other side of the Bulldog.
We were taking its health down at an alarming rate now as we fired up its soft underbelly. The closer we got to the beast, the more HP deducted with each hit. I had to stop. Otherwise, he would come down on top of us when he dropped to all fours. I pulled the door handle and exited the vehicle. I began throwing fire orbs at the underbelly while the beast still stood on its hind legs. Another loud screech rattled my ear drums. The Leviathan was falling back to all fours. It looked like we were out of harm's way but not by much. The beast shook the ground as his front feet made an impact. As it opened its mouth again to roar, Scarlett launched two more plasma grenades, and I launched two large orbs along with them into the throat of the beast. All of a sudden, the entire head of the Leviathan exploded, raining skull, blood, and brains on the countryside and the Bulldog.
Chapter Five
You have defeated the World Boss Leviathan!
You have earned 200,000 Reward Points!
You have gained the fire mage spell “Torch”!
You have gained 500 Iron blocks!
You have been awarded the “Robe of the Cinder God”!
You have been awarded an “America Fuck Yeah” Skill!
“Holy shit! That is a lot of RP. Jackpot city!” I pumped my fist in the air. “Oh shit, is everyone alright. I’m sorry. I’m just excited.”
“I think we’re all fine. We probably have some bruises from your erratic driving, but we’ll live,” Piper replied, clearly exhausted.
“You girls did so damn good. I couldn’t be prouder.”
“Aww, thank you, sweetie,” Lola replied. “Now, I need this question answered. How the fuck did Boz become a fucking badass of epic proportions. She jumped on the hood of a moving vehicle...a fast-moving vehicle, I might add, and shoot the hell out of a World Boss that we are going to hit head-on.”
“I missed a few shots. I’m sorry,” Boz said solemnly.
Lola placed her hand on Boz’s shoulder. “Dude, what the hell are you talking about? You just gave all of us a crash course on how to be a badass.”
“I would have to agree with that,” I added.
Boz’s cheeks reddened. “Well, thank you. I just wanted to help as best I could.”
“I didn’t know what the hell you were doing. You almost gave me a heart attack,” Scarlett said.
I stretched and yawned. “Did any of you get anything good?” I informed them of my rewards, and their jaws hit the floor.
“Shit, I only received 25,000 RP!” Piper replied with frustration.
“Same,” Lola added.
“Same,” Scarlett said.
“I have that amount as well,” Boz replied with a sparkle in her eye.
Piper crossed her arms, pushing her tits upward. “You really have favor with the Celestial Architect. My gods.”
“You’re my lifetime companion. What’s mine is yours remember?”
“Still, it's the principle,” Piper scoffed.
It has been a while since the old Piper showed herself. I found the return funny as hell, and I laughed loudly.
“What’s so funny?” Piper raised a brow.
“You. I missed grumpy Piper. I’m glad to see her again.”
“Well, I can bring her back permanently if you like,” Piper growled.
“There it is again!” Lola chuckled as she pointed playfully at her sister.
“I also received 100 wood-crafting materials and an obsidian dagger,” Scarlett interjected with a shrug.
“Obsidian dagger? May I see?” Boz asked with wide eyes.
Scarlett removed a foot-long dagger from her inventory and handed it to the lizard girl. Boz held up the weapon and turned it all around, admiring its craftsmanship. The hilt was black, and the blade was a smooth piece of shiny onyx-colored material. The sun caused it to sparkle a bit.
“Do you have experience with daggers?” Scarlett asked.
“Yes, very much. I carried a bow and a dagger on my hip when I hunted. This is a beautiful weapon,” Boz replied as she handed the blade back to the succubus.
Scarlett held out her hand to stop the lizard girl. “No, you can have it. I wouldn’t even know what to do with it. I prefer my claws anyway.”
Boz’s eyes widened, and her mouth stood agape. “Really? That is so kind of you. I thank you very much.”
“Aww, look at Scarlett with the generous heart,” Lola added playfully.
“Anyone else get anything?” I asked.
Boz, Piper, and Lola shook their heads. Boz continued to have a glowing smile on her face, Piper's brow was furrowed, and Lola looked indifferent.
“Can we see the stuff you got? I want to see this mysterious robe,” Lola crossed her arms and stepped forward.
“Me too,” I replied as I retrieved the loot.
My eyes widened as I looked at a long red robe with a hood. The garment was soft material, almost like silk. Even though the robe was soft, it didn’t feel weak. I pulled it with my hands to see the strength of the material, and it felt strong. There were flames down the sleeves, and a skull on the back of the robe with fire shooting out of the eye sockets.
“Put it on!” Lola clapped excitedly with a double hop.
I slowly put my arms in the sleeves and pulled the hood over my head. The robe fit perfectly and draped to my ankles. I assumed it fit correctly. It wasn’t like I had worn a lot of robes in my life except for the occasional bathrobe, and I didn’t pay any attention to how they fit.
I analyzed the robe, and a screen popped up.
Robe of the Cinder God
Wearer’s fire damage is increased by 25%
Wearer’s spell speed is increased by 40%
Wearer’s physical damage is reduced by 10%
“I wasn't too keen on wearing a robe, but these perks are too good to pass up. I guess you guys won’t mind if I wear this during quests?”
Scarlett shook her head and walked over to get a closer look. “This attire is extremely sexy. It reminds me of home and is perfect for your class. You will instill fear in your enemies as well.”
“I mean, it’s going to take some getting used to, but I can dig it,” Lola replied.
I turned to hear Piper’s no doubt brutally honest answer, but she only responded with a shrug.
