Secret Quest Activated!
Quest: Ancient Dark Lord Lizardman
The sphere burst, transforming into a rift in space connecting to somewhere else entirely.
“Pennnnn!”
Brave Pekkle suddenly appeared even when I hadn’t called for him.
“A secret quest, huh? Did we trigger a flag somewhere, or is it because I’m the island lord...?”
“Perhaps the Dark Knight Lizardman’s materials unlocking a new skill wasn’t actually what the hint was pointing to.”
“Or it could have been pointing to both secrets. Just look at how Brave Pekkle showed up on his own.”
“The quest is called Ancient Dark Lord Lizardman, but...”
“Remember in the temple where the guy said we’d have to prove our strength or something? That means there definitely has to be a fight.”
“To think we’d run into it after Yamikage and Tsumugi already left...”
“You think they’ll make it if we ring them up now?”
“I’ll try to get in touch... No good. I cannot send them a chat request.”
Just like Shouko, I tried to message Yamikage and Tsumugi, but what popped up was a phone error message: “Error. You are currently in an area without reception.”
“So that means it’s up to us... And Brave Pekkle seems like a fixed party member, but...maybe I can summon other Pekkles?”
I gave it a try with C’mon Pekkle to see if anyone would respond.
“Pennnnn!”
Ah, looks like Pekkles are A-okay. Then we should be able to fill the roles we’re missing to some degree.
I summoned Chris, Warrior Pekkle, Mage Pekkle, and Cleric Pekkle.
“This isn’t the most reliable party, but...seeing as we can’t run, let’s do what we can.”
“Yeah. I never thought I’d be dragged into a quest like this.”
“The ghost ship also came out of nowhere, so it’s not unheard of... We let our guard down.”
“Guess so. We just gotta give it everything we’ve got.”
“Indeed.”
With that, we both drew our weapons and stepped through the rift in space. We soon found ourselves...inside of some stone structure. As we moved forward, the candles stationed at regular intervals would flare to life one by one, casting a faint purple glow.
“What an atmosphere.”
“It certainly feels like something could pop out at any moment, but...we have yet to run into any monsters.”
“Yeah. But something’s definitely waiting for us. Judging by these developments, there’s no way we don’t fight a boss by the end of this.”
“Then we’ll just have to do our best.”
Honestly, not having Tsumugi or Yamikage was more unsettling than I’d expected. It was good that I had Shouko with me, but...combat wasn’t my forte.
I need to make sure I don’t drag her down.
We pressed deeper and...just as I’d predicted, the corridor opened up into a chamber. Within, multiple Dark Knight Lizardmen knelt silently in formation. And at the very back, seated on a throne...was a hulking figure that gave off the aura of a seasoned warrior. A monster that went by Dark Lord Lizardman.
“Do you think we have to fight all of them?”
“C’mon now, how’re we supposed to do that? Then again, they might’ve balanced their strength for this event map.”
“Either way, we can’t run. We just have to do it.”
“Yeah. Now to think of a plan.”
“I will take the front line with Brave Pekkle and handle the incoming attacks. You will provide support from the rear with the other Pekkles. How does that sound?”
“That’s probably our safest bet... I’ve got a weapon built for bossing now, so I’ll rush in if I see an opening.”
“Take care not to attack too much, or you’ll draw too much aggro.”
After a quick strategy meeting, we began our advance on the Dark Lord Lizardman.
Man...if we could fight him a few times to get his attack patterns down, I wouldn’t be this nervous. But this is our first face-off. I wish we had someone like Tsumugi who could fight off pure instinct.
“Hmm... To think an intruder would dare set foot in our domain... Whether you act out of courage or folly, I shall be the judge. I am Dark Lord Lizardman! Guardian of this domain!”
The Dark Lord Lizardman’s voice boomed through the chamber as he rose from his throne, a massive battleaxe materializing by his side. He gripped it and took his stance.
The Dark Knight Lizardmen, who had been kneeling quietly, parted and took up their positions by the walls. Thankfully, it seemed they’d only be onlookers for this battle.
We were only set to fight the Dark Lord Lizardman himself.
“It’s on, pen!”
Brave Pekkle rushed out automatically, confronting the Dark Lord head-on.
“Hrraaaaahhh!”
Then, a powerful swoosh! filled the air. With his massive axe in a stranglehold, the Dark Lord Lizardman swung it down in a mighty arc at Brave Pekkle.
“Pennnn!”
Clang! Brave Pekkle deflected the blow and withstood the impact.
Whoa... I’m sure he’s getting buffed for this event, but he’s looking pretty reliable right now.
“We can’t be outdone!”
“Yeah! Get him, Pekkles!”
“Pennnnnn!”
At my command, the other Pekkles rushed in and began executing the orders that had been set for them. Chris closed the distance with weapon in flipper and launched an endless flurry of swings, with Warrior Pekkle following his lead.
Mage Pekkle fired off ranged water magic from afar, while Cleric Pekkle stood back, carefully observing the situation.
“Here I go! Wild Dance First Formation: Rapid Strike!”
Shouko moved in as well; she unfurled her fan and unleashed a skill at the Dark Lord Lizardman. A rapid series of graceful slashes.
That flowing dance of hers is almost enough to put you in a trance. That’s Shouko for you. She always makes for a pretty picture.
“Hmph!”
“Khh...”
The Dark Lord Lizardman countered with a wide sweep of his axe. Shouko braced herself and leaped back to avoid taking the brunt of it.
“I’ve only taken a single blow, but...he is quite strong. The weight behind that swing felt like something from Mikakage’s front line.”
“That’s rough. This won’t be easy for just the two of us.”
“Is that all you’ve got?! Haaahhh!”
“Pennnn!”
As the Dark Lord Lizardman tried to chase after Shouko, Brave Pekkle stepped in to knock him back.
“He seems very mobile too. If Brave Pekkle hadn’t been there, I would have taken another hit.”
“I’m not done yet!”
Suddenly, an area in front of Dark Lord Lizardman was outlined in red as if to warn us.
Three, two, one—boom! A powerful shock wave erupted from the spot, carving deep cracks into the ground as a temporary visual effect.
Whoa...that looks painful. And wait, it covers a huge area, and we barely have any time to dodge it.
“This is... I believe this fight was designed under the assumption that we would be using mounts.”
“I see. We need to ride to make up for the speed, huh.”
Shouko and I quickly summoned our mounts and jumped aboard. I rode my Library Rabbit while Shouko mounted her massive white cat.
“I’m not fully used to fighting like this, but here I come!”
Shouko’s cat let out an intimidating hiss as it darted circles around the Dark Lord Lizardman before pouncing.
“Circle Dance Second Formation: Blizzard!”
Wielding dual fans, Shouko unleashed a flurry of flower petals in a swirling attack, striking in tandem with her mount.
Whoa... What a fierce attack. It’s like she’s become one with the cat.
“Go, pen! Pennnnnnn!”
With Brave Pekkle’s rallying cry, a shadowy lizardman summon charged and took a downward swing. This kicked off what seemed to be a Cooperation skill with Chris and Mage Pekkle, causing a violent watery vortex to swallow the Dark Lord whole.
“Haaaah!”
“Pen?! It hurts, pen...”
But as Chris zipped around, slicing and dicing in the vortex, he took a clean hit from the Dark Lord Lizardman’s bare fist, sending him slamming into the wall. His HP took a plunge. Even though Cleric Pekkle quickly rushed in for the heal, the amount restored was minimal. It was going to take a while to get him back to full.
When it came to stats, Chris stood near the top of all Pekkles, and even he lost that much HP from a single blow. That meant I was in for a world of hurt if I took a hit myself.