Racknar growled lightly as the party continued to move. “As we're approaching the inner sanctum, things are going to start getting more difficult as normal elves start getting swapped out for Driders. It'll almost be like fighting something that was previously a boss as a minion as some will be comparable to the Warlock we fought in that tower.” Ariagoria let out a long sigh. “I get we are stronger and better equipped, but that still sounds awful because of how difficult I remember the fight being. Though I measure difficulty by how rough Racknar looks after the fight. The missing limb index if you will.”
Davy chuckled at that as they entered the room just before what one would call the boss room. Outside the door were ten Driders. Three archers, three combat mages, two paladins, and two clerics. “You will go no farther.” A female paladin declared. Racknar cracked his neck and readied his weapons. “You know, that statement doesn't exactly help the stereotype about dark elves being chronic liars. Because we are getting in that room, even if it means going through you.” With the verbal exchange finished it was time for combat to start.
Marionette, being the fastest and most nimble person in the room, immediately started the fight by moving behind one of the archers and slashing at them four times. The cuts were not deep enough to end the Drider but clearly did damage. Krys'tal shot her ice spike arrow into the group to damage all of them before firing her next two normal cold arrows at the same archer that Marionette attacked. Looking extremely rough but still standing, that archer alongside the two others shot their arrows. One at Racknar, one at Ariagoria, and another at Krys'tal. Racknar and Ariagoria simply used their shields while Krys'tal managed to dodge.
Then the two paladins went after Racknar while the two clerics healed the damaged archer. Both paladins swung at Racknar with a thunderous smite that sent lightning into his shields and still did some damage before swinging two more times each and cutting into Racknar's ribs a bit. Davy quickly cast Eldritch Hunger, covering the clerics in darkness. The three mages all fired ice spells at Racknar causing ice to form on his body. Ariagoria used a minor healing spell on Racknar before going after one of the clerics and sending a divine strike of white fire into them before smacking them two more times leaving them heavily damaged. This did require her to enter the darkness of Davy’s spell but outside the magical darkness the spell did not affect her.
Racknar decided that now wasn't the time to be holding back and turned on the saws on his weapons before tapping into his rage and swinging his weapons while boosting them with extra fire. “Reckless Infernal Strike!” He shouted out with the first attack before making five more. The first attack cut a lot more deeply then what Racknar normally manages and the Drider was dead by the end of the flurry of blows. “(I must have gotten a critical hit or something on that first attack, because otherwise I shouldn't have been able to kill that enemy in a single round. Gravely wounded at best without a critical.)”
Marionette attacked the same archer again, this time managing to kill the wounded enemy. Krys'tal fired three beans of cold into the second archer, finishing them off too. Ariagoria and the two clerics couldn't be seen in the darkness of Davy’s spell he had to continue concentrating on. The remaining paladin struck Racknar hard with another powerful first attack covered in strange light followed by two more. Despite the enemy hitting a shield, Racknar was still clearly taking some damage from the radiant light. The final archer fired at Davy who took a hit to the shoulder but maintained his focus on the spell.
The three mages, seeing the situation, all cast the call lightning spell aimed at Racknar who was now looking extremely beat up. Despite looking burned, cut, and having several cracks and dents in his chitinous armor, Racknar remained standing. He used another fire enhanced Reckless Infernal Strike before following up with more attacks and killing the second paladin. One archer, the three mages, and presumably the two clerics were still alive.
Marionette and Krys'tal teamed up on the remaining archer to make sure they couldn't shoot at Davy anymore. The mages turned their attention to Davy in order to free their comrades from his spell. Davy managed to pull a scroll out of his robe that created a magic barrier that blocked most of the damage without losing his concentration. Ariagoria suddenly slid out of the area of the spell, sliding backwards to a stop, covered in burns, bruises, and cuts. She breathed heavily as she cast a healing spell on Racknar, healing herself in the process.
Racknar sprinted at the mages. Using his Reckless Infernal Strike he managed to one shot the first Drider mage before sending his next three attacks at the second mage, killing them too. After that he made three more attacks, one attack more than his previous maximum with a flurry of blows. The final mage fell when the two clerics came slowly out of the shadow of Davy’s spell, covered in acid burns and frost marks. They took a few steps before collapsing to the ground.
Racknar stomped hard and cursed. “Damnit! We took more damage and used more resources then I was hoping for.” Krys'tal looked at Racknar. “You're the only one that took any real damage. Well, other than Charity who sat inside that spell.” Davy did a little hand wave. “I used careful casting ahead of time because I figured someone would run into it. So she didn't take much if any damage from the spell. We grabbed potions so let's chug them down to restore ourselves and finish this mission. We definitely can't take another rest.”
Racknar handed out potions. “Okay, here's the rundown. Even though she gained her divinity through questionable means, Lolith is still a goddess and as such is immune to all non-magical damage. She'll also resist most magical damage too. The only ones here that can even hope to do real damage to her are myself, Charity, and I guess Davy because oddly enough none of her official sheets mention psionic damage. So we're going to do this a bit differently than a normal boss. I'll focus on here while you guys focus on the minions and support. Charity will likely be too focused on healing to do damage herself once the fight gets heated.”
Ariagoria huffed. “I don't much like this plan. This is the hardest boss we've fought yet, and you plan to solo it while everyone else runs support and handles mooks?” Racknar shook his head. “Once all the minions are dead, then you'll focus fire on the boss. She might summon more but there's a limit to how much she can summon and every round she spends summoning is a round she's not spending on attacks. Also, since I have the Mage Slayer ability, her casting spells within my melee range invokes an attack of opportunity. If she dared to attack anyone other than me then that would trigger Sentinel and also trigger an attack of opportunity. I'm going to back her into a corner and force her to focus on me.”
Marionette gestured at Racknar's damaged robe. “You nearly died during that last fight, and those were minions. Even as a mage, this is a god we are talking about. Her melee damage probably isn't anything to sneeze at.” Racknar sighed. “You’re right, because as a full on God she not only resists damage from even magical attacks on the mortal level, but she can also ignore resistance when attacking someone on the mortal level. Meaning my normal ability of resisting all physical damage while using rage won't work. The only damage reduction I'll have is my armor.”
Racknar quickly swapped out his robe for another. “Even with my insane armor stat I'm definitely going to be feeling this one. But everything is going to be okay, because I got potions of haste and scrolls for the spells Mage Armor, Stone Skin, and Shield. So I can increase my defense even more. For just a moment, however brief, I'll transcend my mortal status with all the boosts I'll have running.” Krys'tal sighed and gestured to the door. “Let's not keep a lady waiting then.”
The party finished up drinking their potions and walked into the inner chamber of the temple. Inside there was a massive loom that wasn't currently in use with what looked like a Drider with the lower body of a Black Iron Spider and an upper body of a drow woman in armored robes. The robes had a slight glimmer as did the armor. She turned around from looking at the loom in order to look at the party. The upper part of her face looked slightly deformed with several small slit-like eyes above her nose and fangs coming out of her mouth.
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She smiled at them. “I wondered what all the commotion was about. How bold of you to come right into my nest like this. What exactly were you hoping to accomplish here? Even if you killed all of my minions, did you really think you could kill a god.” Racknar gestured at her with one of his swords. “Your deception ends here usurper. By the end of this day, the true Mother of Spiders will reclaim her rightful place.” Lolith chuckled. “I knew you smelled familiar. A beast-kin born of the blood of Arachne. Only a step or two from her it seems. It's a shame that a specimen as handsome as you would hold that has been in such high regard. I guess it's no matter. Devoted followers, make sure to take that one alive. I have plans for him.”
Racknar gripped his weapons hard. “Over my dead body.” Marionette moved fast, even faster than normal, going behind one of the ten mages in the room. She sliced into them with high speed, managing a total of twelve attacks in a blur of motion that took out the mage with ease. Krys'tal created one of her gem beacons, the floating crystal sending ribbons of light to the party members. She then shot her exploding ice spike into the archers followed by three more arrows. Davy waved his staff around. “I know he said to focus on the minions, but I can't help myself. Maximize magic, Meteor Swarm!” Flaming rocks seemed to magically manifest near the sealing as they slammed high speed into the floor of the room, with the rocks somehow avoiding the party.
All the minions looked a bit rough, so Davy used his haste to cast another AOE spell. “He did say we could help him once the minions were dead. Enhanced Range Maximize Magic, Fireball!” Flame then covered the entire room for a moment, burning only the enemy. Ariagoria chuckled. “Two more big damage AOE spells should do it. Enhanced Range Maximize Magic, Celestial Fireball!” White flames covered the room burning only the minions. “Again!” Ariagoria shouted before using her hasted action to cast the spell a second time.
The minions were all burned to a crisp, either dead or dying from the first set of attacks. Lolith, however, hardly even had a scratch on her. It seemed the Celestial Fireball did a bit more damage then Davy's Fireball, but even then the dam was hardly noticeable. The remaining clerics all cast Maximize Mass Cure Wounds bringing those that survived back to full health. However, the minions were still reduced to just under half their starting numbers. From forty down to nineteen with one less archer then everything else.
The four archers all targeted Ariagoria who ducked under her shield while the five mages all cast their own carefully casted fireball, hitting the party five different times. This attack was less effective on Ariagoria and even less so for Racknar who had two stacks of resistance to fire while raging. The Paladins all ran in, three going for Racknar and two for Ariagoria. Racknar simply held out his shields to block attacks as he ran through them and Ariagoria managed to block one attack but took another. The moment she was hit she shouted “Divine Retribution!” causing her attacker to burst into white flames and take damage.
Racknar continued his run until he was up close and personal with Lolith. “I hope you like it rough, because you're about to receive a pounding you'll never forget!” Racknar then set his weapon on fire before slamming it down hard at Lolith. “Reckless Infernal Strike!” He shouted before making eight element boosted attacks. He then shouted “Precision Infernal Strike!” before making another series of eight element boosted attacks with the first of each set clearly being stronger than the rest.
Lolith took hit after hit and although a magic barrier took some of the damage and what did hit was reduced, Lolith clearly felt the attacks and was definitely injured. She started casting a spell but Racknar sent another attack at her and interrupted the casting. Lolith yelled out in frustration. “Damn you! I'll make you pay for that! You really think it would be that easy to kill a god?!” She did a swipe with her hand and several adult Black Iron Spiders were summoned.
The Badge of Arachne shines and the spiders are unsummoned. “Heh, nice try, but as long as I have this badge, summoning ordinary spiders is a waste of mana. Sure, there's a limit to how many I can unsummon, and you could definitely out perform that number. In the end, you're better off using your mana for other things.” Racknar gloated slightly. Lolith growled at him. Marionette moved her focus onto another archer, slashing into it multiple times in a blur of motion till it was dead.
Krys'tal once again fired her exploding ice spike at the remaining archers followed by three arrows only to issue a second barrage of attacks killing two of the four archers and wounding the other two. Davy cast Maximize Magic Chain Lightning hitting and killing the last two archers and then injuring one of the clerics. Followed by a second Maximize Magic Chain Lightning to hit three of the clerics including one he already hit. Marionette went after the most injured cleric and finished them off. The mages focused fire with single target lightning spells on Racknar.
Ariagoria cast Maximize Magic Mass Cure Wounds, as did the remaining clerics, then she slammed down into one of the two paladins that were next to her with three attacks with the first being covered in radiant flames. The two paladins attacked back, both striking her, with the more injured one getting hit by Divine Retribution. The three paladins that tried to attack Racknar ran to his back and all three made three attacks slamming Racknar with all nine of them, giving him nicely sized wounds.
Racknar mostly ignored them and once again used his two sets of eight attacks on Lolith. “Kill those damned clerics already!” He shouted after his savage barrage of attacks. Lolith once again growled after the attacks. “You can't win! I am a goddess, you are nothing!” She then pulled out a pair of swords and slashed at Racknar, cutting into him three times, his injuries once again starting to look bad. “Hope you like poison, you worm! But don't worry, it's paralytic.”
Marionette chuckled softly to herself as she focused her twelve attacks on a second cleric. Krys'tal fired two sets of three beams of ice at the same target, killing it. Davy decided to cast Eldritch Hunger over the paladins behind Racknar. “Have fun being blind, slow, and taking damage over time.” The remaining three clerics and Ariagoria cast healing magic once again, after that Ariagoria hit one of the paladins with her attacks before getting his and using Divine Retribution again in a sort of stalemate of healing and damage. The three paladins in the spell Davy cast couldn't find their targets as they attacked wildly. The mages once again cast single target spells aimed at Racknar uninterrupted.
Racknar roared as he sent another round off attacks that did clear damage knowing that until the clerics were dead he too was at a stalemate. Lolith once again slashed with her twin swords three times. “You can keep using that poison Lolith, it's not going to work on me.” Racknar gloated to Lolith, causing her to roar out. “I'm going to kill your friends! Then I'm going to cut off your limbs and tie you up! Then, like it or not, you'll father the next generation of superior Driders!”
Marionette audibly gagged as she did her best to focus her attacks on one one of the three clerics, Krys'tal once again finishing it off. Davy had to focus on his existing spell, so he couldn't cast another outside the use of magic items. So he pulled out two scrolls and when the clerics tried to cast healing on Lolith the two scrolls burned. “Counterspell scrolls.” Davy chuckled. “I only had the two though.” Ariagoria cast her healing magic and finally finished off one of the paladins with the other attacking her back only to receive Divine Retribution. “It's almost time for a mana potion.” She commented as she huffed from her magic use.
Racknar’s eyes widened as images flashed through his mind. Then his eyes narrowed as the black chitin started to burn and the color started to flake off, the black color coming off like ashes and the chitin becoming red. “I refuse to go through something like that a second time! I don't care if the first was an illusion, it felt real to me.” The red flames that were on Racknar's arms turned black as he started savagely slamming enhanced attacks into Lolith once more, each attack having an explosion of fire after rather than just the first with the rest simply having fire on the weapons.
Pillars of black flame erupted as Racknar let out a demonic roar. “I'd rather die!” The words came out distorted and demonic sounding. Lolith took far more damage from the second round of attacks then the first as she was knocked backwards at the end of it. Blood dripped off of her as she cursed. “Fuck it. If you want to die so badly, so be it!” She lit up with magic as energy came from inside Davy's spell and the remaining paladin as well as the five mages, they all turned to dust that was then absorbed. This left only the two clerics. Lolith wounds healed slightly and her body lit up and morphed.
No longer did her body have the centaur-like body plan of the Drider, now she stood there looking like a more agile and feminine version of what Racknar was but with dark purple chitin. In her hands four jagged looking swords that looked ready to saw and cut flesh. “I'm done fucking around with you!” Davy grumbled. “What the hell man? No one told me she had a second phase like a fucking TooHard boss! What the hell do you think this is, Devil Spirits?”
Marionette went after one of the two remaining clerics, slashing into them. “Just focus on the fight Davy, don't get distracted.” Krys'tal and Davy also sent attacks at them with Ariagoria casting a healing spell as they did before running in and attacking them as well. “Well there's just two minions left, so we'll be able to help more once they are dead.” Racknar took a step back as he looked at Lolith’s new form. “(This isn't in the books, this is brand new territory for me.)”
He decided to just keep going. He downed a potion that gave him the benefits of a full rest to restore his uses of his Martial Arts abilities before making a set of eight attacks at Lolith who parried all but the first of the eight strikes. The first one hitting her resulted in damage that was hardly even noticeable. Lolith's fangs curled into a wicked smile. “Time to die Arachnid Knight, it wasn't a pleasure. I'll make sure you rest in pieces.”
