[LotMG3] Chapter 55: Core

Nick was certain that if Team Earth continued fighting the Janitor using conventional tactics, they were all going to die. While their attacks were dealing damage, especially V’s acid and Devin’s axe-plosions, the mutant was still able to regenerate to some extent.

Although they had drained a ton of its mana and the essence comprising its core was falling apart, the creature had endless pools of stamina and health, at least by the standards of his party. They would drop from their wounds and exhaustion well before they were able to lay the monster low in a direct exchange of blows.

They couldn’t make a break for it either—not with the gear-swarm blocking the exit to the enclosure like a besieging army.

That was when Sophia yelled out an observation that offered a glimmer of hope. “There is something solid hiding inside all that gel. Something small that keeps moving around. It’s full of concentrated mana and some other form of energy. I think it’s the Janitor’s core. There are tiny flows of force spreading out from it that are controlling the rest of its body. Something tells me that it won’t be able to regenerate damage to its core the same way that it restores the rest of its body. If we destroy it, I think that it will die.”

When he took a closer look, Nick realized that he could see it too. There was a concentrated mass of energy suspended inside the blob—a fast-moving sphere about the size of his fist. That’s definitely a core. It reminded him of the object that he had removed from the spear-tongue frog, only bigger and far more powerful. If we break it, it should cripple the mutant. Even if it doesn’t die right away, it won’t be able to heal or use any of its powers.

He realized that it was time to change plans. Rather than distributing their damage across its exterior, the party needed to destroy that core before they ran out of mana or the Janitor landed a direct hit with its spells.

Although the insight was only an educated guess, it was the best shot they had. Team Earth had to to reach the creature’s core and destroy it, before it was too late. Any attack from the Janitor could score a killing blow, and except for Sophia, his party was running on the dregs of their vital energy.

Worse, the stress from the prolonged battle was getting to them—dulling the edge of their concentration and slowing their reflexes. It was only a matter of time before someone made a fatal mistake, and Nick had a sinking feeling that it was going to happen sooner rather than later.

Come on, think. How can we use the various powers at our disposal to disable the mutant long enough to reach its core? He considered his options, adjusting their strategy based on what he’d witnessed.

I have enough energy for a few more spells, but I should save it to infuse my sword with pure mana to land a killing blow. Shaun is out. Devin and V are running on fumes. Sophia still has one mana potion and one stamina potion. As far as consumables go, we have Devin’s cryo grenades, my barriers, flask, and the Molotov cocktails I just made. What is the best way to put everything together to take the big bastard down?

That was when it hit him. We can freeze its gel and stop the core from moving. Then use heat to soften one side, dig our way in, and take it out. The mutant might be able to cast spells while frozen, but solidifying its body should keep it from defending itself until it has time to thaw. Rapid expansion and contraction might also weaken the bonds holding the Janitor’s tissue together.

It was a solid plan. Two things that the party had plenty of were fire and cold. Sophia still had all three frost venom charges in her dagger. More critically, she could use her potions to summon a swarm of upgraded wasps, each of which could sting multiple times before running out of venom.

On the heat front, both of Devin’s abilities created a decent amount of fire, and the Molotovs would add quite a bit more. Veronica’s trait should make them hit harder, so I should let her throw the bottles.

If they used everything just right, they might be able to separate the Janitor’s core from its body. Then Nick could land the finishing blow with his sword—since pure mana was the only weapon that seemed to deal permanent damage.

It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was the only shot they had. Now he needed to let everyone know what he’d come up with, then create an opening where the party could land their freezing attacks, followed by the flames. If this didn’t work, they were going to have to break through the construct swarm and hope for the best, although Nick judged their odds of surviving that gauntlet as falling somewhere between slim and none.

He sprinted down the line while yelling at the top of his lungs and countering force-blasts along the way—telling each member of Team Earth what to do. Since everyone else had specific roles to play, it was up to Nick and Shaun to create an opening, then keep the Janitor distracted while the others made their move.

He ran over to Shaun’s side and let the archer know what was going on. To his credit, the young man merely nodded and said, “Alright, I’ve regained enough mana to lay down another Smoke Arrow. If I’m willing to endure mana sickness, I can probably squeeze out a single Electric Arrow to annoy it too. After that, I’ll be down to my regular shots and won’t be in any shape to dodge.”

By now, Sophia was summoning like mad. She called up four wasps before running out of mana and stamina. At which point, she chugged both potions and kept right on going. Nick judged that she would have ten or eleven insects in the air before she bottomed out again.

He handed Sopha his elixir after she finished both potions, which should grant her enough energy to summon a final pair of wasps. “If this doesn’t work, we might have to try the power that you’ve been trying not to use,” he whispered. She nodded, slammed the flask and handed it back to him, casting her magic without wasting a moment.

Soon, thirteen wasps were hovering in the air. At her command, they dispersed—circling the ceiling above the Janitor’s position, ready to dive at a moment’s notice. Sophia tossed V her dagger, so that the damage-over-time-specialist could add a bit more power to the attack, although the dagger was falling behind in power compared to her ranked-up summons.

That’s a smart move. I hadn’t thought about it, but frost venom should count as a form of damage over time and get boosted by Veronica’s trait. She should be the one to throw the cryo grenades as well as the Molotovs.

“Get ready everyone, it’s time to finish this. After we create an opening, we must protect V and the wasps until they can unleash their freezing attacks. Once the Janitor is as cold as it’s going to get, it will be time to turn up the heat. Aim for the surface closest to the core and hope that we can dig it out before the rest thaws. We’re only going to get one shot at this, so let’s make it count.”

Nick handed V his pack, so that she could retrieve the oil bombs without having to worry about them breaking beforehand. He had Devin pass over his consumables too, then both men closed to melee range to keep the Janitor’s attention on them.

Team Earth let out a battle cry sprang into motion. Shaun fired his last Smoke Arrow, making it easier for them to read the Janitor’s ranged attacks. He kept on shooting regular arrows to provide a distraction, saving his electric shot for a critical moment.

Nick had his wand out as he strafed the blob, dodging pseudopods and force-blasts along the way. Every time the device regained a charge, he shot the mutant pointblank, which sent kinetic energy rippling throughout its body. It wasn’t doing any damage, but it was one hell of a diversion.

Veronica repositioned, so that she could unleash the consumables at a critical moment. She was wearing Kellen’s glasses—warning Devin of incoming attacks while Sophia directed her summons. The wasp swarm spread out so they couldn’t be taken down by a single shot, although losing even one of them would be a crippling blow at this point.

The Janitor must have sensed that the they were making a serious play. It roared out a challenge and stepped up its offensive—unleashing an unending barrage of force attacks. Team Earth ducked and dodged, leapt and rolled. Nick was forced to use two Piercing Rays to counter a pair of beams that were too close to evade, as the party prepared to make their move.

His heart pounded like a taiko drum. Electric adrenaline sang within his veins. This was their make-or-break moment. Their best and last chance of winning the fight.

If this failed, all that was left was to run or call upon the bonefiend. Either way, Nick was certain that not all of them would survive the attempt, assuming that any of them did at all.