A Boss Battle

“Flora! Any progress?” I asked, kneeling next to her. She was knelt down to the manticore, trying to **** it to eat some strange mixture.

“Not really. I don’t know much about monster biology, but the stuff I learned about farm medicine isn’t working on a Manticore,” she said, frowning.

“Do those spikes still have venom on them?” I asked, moving over to its tail. She followed me over.

“Looks like it to me,” she said. She handed me a cloth. “Use this to handle it. I don’t know if the venom will seep through your skin or not.”

“Thanks,” I said. Using the cloth to grip a spike, I cut one free from the Manticore’s tail. The **** monster barely even reacted. “Go hide. We don’t want the big guy coming after you.”

She nodded, heading off towards the wagon. I ran back to rejoin Lucille, feeling my Bolster about to wear off. She had gotten in another gash on his forearm.

“Still hanging in there?” I asked, taking a stance next to her.

“For now,” she huffed. “Even with this bracelet, my durability has its limits.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got something to put this guy down,” I said, showing her the manticore spike. “Now I just need an opening.”

“Need a hand?” asked Sofia, rejoining us alongside Alice and Minerva. The remaining bandits were dead or incapacitated. Excellus was deprived of his magic and bound helplessly by roots, thanks to Minerva’s nature magic.

“Yeah, actually. A diversion would be nice. If I get this spike to make contact with one of those open wounds, enchantment or not, the venom will paralyze him,” I said.

“He’s got anti magic protection,” said Lucille. The boss charged, forcing Lucille to step up to block him again, buying us time.

“Those enchantments may stop the damage from my spell, but the light can still blind him,” said Alice.

“My roots won’t be able to pin him, but they could trip him if he wasn’t paying attention,” said Minerva.

“Got anything Sofia?” I asked. She was scratching her head, unsure of herself. “Cmon, you’ve got this.”

“Well, those enchantments have a limit. Lucille’s is almost completely gone. But, if I hit him with all my power, it may be enough to deplete his magic protection,” she said, hopeful. “If he can’t dodge, there’s a chance.”

“Sounds like a plan. Lucille! Get back!” I shouted, rushing over towards her.

“Huh? You ready?” She asked, disengaging. I nodded an affirmative.

“Stop running!” Bellowed the bandit boss. While his enchantments were still going strong, he personally was starting to get tired. He was also very angry, with all his underlings being beaten.

“What’s wrong, ya big dumb bastard!? Is one girl too much for ya?” I taunted.

“SHUT UP!” he yelled, charging like a bull seeing red.

“Now!” I ordered. Alice fired a blast of light magic right in front of the boss, the light so bright, even from several feet away, Lucille and I shielded our eyes.

“My eyes!” bellowed the boss, squinting and rubbing his eyes as the light faded. A large root sprouted in his path. Unable to see, the bandit ran right through it, his leg getting caught on it, making him fall down onto his face. As he sat up and tried to free his leg, Sofia let loose her flare spell, hitting the boss directly. Most of the magical fire was quickly extinguished by the enchanted jewelry, but the heat caused the root around his foot to ignite, and these normal flames weren’t subject to his enchantments.

The flame spread up his pant leg, and I raced over towards him as he tried to pat out the fire and free himself. Using my sword as a feint, I leapt towards him. He finally smothered the flames with his shirt, after suffering burns to his leg, and batted aside my sword, grabbing me by the throat as he regained his footing.

“To think, a weakling like you did all this to my men. You even beat my business partner. This is unforgivable. Now, time for you to d-” he said, stopping short as I drove the manticores spike into the gash on his arm. His arm stiffened, and the rest of his body slowly followed, his movements slowing to a halt as the venom spread throughout his bloodstream.

“To think, someone like you managed to do this much harm just because he got ahold of some enchantments,” I said, freeing myself from his stiff grip. Taking up my sword once more, I cut through each piece of enchanted jewelry, one by one, until none were left. “What do you think, guys? Should we bring him back to town? Or should I put him down, and ensure he won’t harm anyone else?”

“Lady Esther would show mercy,” said Alice, clasping her hands together. “All lives are equal in the eyes of the goddess.”

What a load of crap...Esther’s jaded as hell.

“While that is true...some are beyond salvation,” said Lucille. “We aren’t the first victims, far from it. Had we not been capable of fighting back, we’d be just like the rest.”

“Yeah. His men were getting excited about ‘having a turn’ with us,” said Sofia, shuddering. “How many women have this guy and his cronies ‘had a turn’ with?”

“Self defense is one thing, but...this is like an execution...” said Flora, rejoining is with the wagon and mule.

“The choice is yours, Flynn,” said Minerva. “Either way, I ask that you escort Excellus back to the capital for me. As a mage, his crimes must be tried by the council of at the university there.”

I nodded, mulling over the decision, and keeping everyone’s positions in mind.