Chapter 89: Man vs Gifts

Chapter 89: Man vs Gifts

Getting punched by a hastened cannibal weredeer hurt.

The wendigos moved like lightning, hit harder than trucks, and were about as translucent as the wind itself. Even with the buffs provided by the Field and Kalkis distant music, Basil could hardly dodge half of their attacks. He waved his halberd around and fired an elemental orb, but hit only air.

Basil hadnt realized just how much he relied on the Hasten buff in battle until now. With Vasi incapacitated, he had no way to renew the effect.

Argh! Basil grunted as a wendigo bull rushed him. The monsters horns hit his chest with enough strength to toss a car over, sending him rolling back in the snow. His armor didnt crack under the pressure, but only barely.

Warning: you have lost a third of your HP!

Im outmatched in close combat, Basil realized. He leaped into the air and activated Double Jump, only for invisible hands to grab his ankle and throw him halfway across the courtyard. Basil barely managed to land on his feet as the two wendigos assaulting him closed the gap between them.

Im coming, Boss! Swiping away the wendigos surrounding him with a sweep of his tail, Bugsy pointed one of the craters on his back in Basils direction. Magma Bomb!

His crater erupted like a volcano and fired a sphere of magma. The projectile hit the ground a few meters in front of Basil before detonating in a burst of lava. A fiery puddle of molten rock spilled over the ground, the sheer heat instantly vaporizing the snow into steam. Basil immediately noticed an invisible shape moving among the fumes at high speed.

I got you now! Basil leaped in the air and impaled a now exposed wendigo through the chest. His halberd sliced the creature in half and killed it instantly.

Supereffective Hit! Critical Hit!

Inspired by Bugsys example, Basil activated his corrosive Dragonbreath and spread noxious fumes around him. The second wendigo, however, had learned from his comrades mistake. The creature fled at the toxic clouds approach to avoid having his movements tracked.

These things are smarter than they look, Basil thought as he surveyed the battlefield. More of the monsters were ganging up on Rosemarine and Bugsy. As for Krampus, he was climbing the courtyards walls and well on his way to the castles roof. We need back-up.

Basil swiftly sent a message to Kalki and Plato through the Logs feature to inform them of Krampus location. He then rushed to Rosemarines rescue, leaping in the air and landing on her back.

Lets rumble, Basil told his tropidrake. He immediately sensed his Dragon Rider I Perk activate, letting him hang on to her back even as a wendigo attempted to pull him off to the ground. Charge on, Ill cover you!

Yes, Mister! Rosemarine roared and charged across the courtyard, trampling any wendigo that hadnt yet hastened itself while Basil unleashed Fire Elemental Orbs from her back. Rosemarines invulnerability to flames allowed the projectiles to detonate in close proximity without harming her. Between Basil and Bugsy, the whole courtyard now resembled a sauna; even the cold blizzard couldnt keep up with them.

Krampus, however, had climbed up all the way to a roof overseeing the courtyard. He glared at the battlefield, searched inside his sack and brought out a spherical bomb.

Heres your present! The fairy lord threw the bomb into the courtyard, and swiftly grabbed another from his sack before the first even landed. And heres yours! And yours!

Take cover! Basil shouted at his allies before targeting a bomb with a fire orb. The two projectiles collided and exploded in a fiery detonation above the courtyard. Basil attempted to do the same with the others, but Krampus produced bombs faster than he could keep up with. Those that landed on the ground exploded in volleys of ice shards.

Bugsys Heatriser caused the projectiles to melt before they could even reach him, but Rosemarine was not so lucky. A few of them exploded in close proximity to the tropidrake and nailed her with ice shrapnel. Rosemarine shrieked in pain as the shards tore through her leaf-scales. Basil himself grunted as a projectile rebounded off his armor.

Krampus [Turbo: Frost] boosted his [Ice Present]s damage!Warning: You have fallen below half health!

Mister, its cold! Rosemarine complained. In spite of her immense bulk, a quick look at her status screen informed Basil that each bomb took off more than a tenth of her health. She wouldnt be able to resist them forever. I dont feel so good!

Lets drag him from his nest! Basil pointed his halberd at Krampus. Bugsy, cover us!

Bugsy answered by breathing searing flames near Rosemarine, shrouding her movements in fire and smoke. Basil felt his armor heating up, but distance let him avoid taking damage. With the wendigos retreating before the wall of fire, Rosemarine rushed at the courtyards walls and used it as a support to rise on her two back legs.

Basil prepared to jump off her to reach Krampus, only for an invisible shape to leap through the smoke and straight at him.

Basil barely had time to raise his halberd at the hastened wendigo before it hit the shaft with its horns. The blow was almost strong enough to knock him off Rosemarines backand it would have done so without his Dragon Rider Perk's help.

Get off me! Basil snarled as he tried to push back the wendigo. Rosemarine was unfortunately too small to reach Krampus on her own and vainly raised her hand at him to sweep him off the roof. Off I said!

Basil unleashed his corrosive Dragonbreath and hit the wendigo straight in the face. The beast hissed in pain as it inhaled the noxious miasma, its white fur turning purple on contact and most importantly, making him visible.

Supereffective hit!

The wendigo attempted to leap off Rosemarine to escape a counterattack, but Basil managed to grab him by a horn with his free hand. Using all the superhuman strength he had accumulated across months of leveling, he pulled the wendigo towards himself and hit the beast in the face with his halberd. The monster survived the blow and thick black blood sprayed from his skull as he violently brawled with Basil.

Krampus threw a bomb at Rosemarines face, nearly causing the tropidrake to stumble. She miraculously managed to hang on to the wall, though Basil was too busy hacking at the wendigo to help her.

Then the roof under Krampus cracked open.

Basil was as surprised as the fairy lord as a golden serpent erupted from under the boss and swiftly coiled around him. Shesha let out a hiss as she wrapped herself around Krampus before biting him in the throat. It seemed to annoy the fairy lord more than it hurt him, but it did put an end to his bombing spree.

As Basil finished off the wendigo, he looked up to see a giant bird flying through the blizzard right above his head. Kalki rode Garud with Plato behind him, still playing the flute over the howling wind.

Kalki, Plato! Basil had never been so relieved to see the hippie again. Hes keeping Shellgirl in his sack!

On it! Kalki had his bird of prey dive down at Krampus like an eagle. Garud grabbed the sack with his talons and took off with it.

Unfortunately, Krampus wouldnt let it go. He refused to drop the sack, even as Shesha squeezed him tightly. Both were swiftly taken off the roof and floated over the courtyard.

Not the naughty sack! Krampus growled as he desperately hung onto his bag. Mine, mine, mine!

Drop it, you fat goat! Garud complained. The bird was extremely powerful, but the scene reminded Basil of an eagle trying to lift a pig: as absurd as it was comical. Get him off me!

Cant believe Im helping a bird, Plato answered. He leaped off the birds back, landed on Krampus head, and stabbed him in the face with Joyeuse. Dwarf tiger to the face!

Krampus brought the [Naughty Rod]! Fear the [Naughty Rod]! Every hit will be a critical one!You have brought Krampus below half health!Congratulations, you have driven off Krampus! You have been put off the naughty list and you will receive experience as if you had killed him!Your party received 13,600,000 EXP (2,266,666 for you). You gained nine levels (total 63). Vishnu-GadaFamily: Weapon (Club/Mace).Quality: A.Power: +20 STR.Crit: +10%Accuracy: 60%Effect 1: [AdvancedMastery: Hindu]: Followers and figures of the Hindu faith can wield this weapon with Advanced Proficiency (x2 damage, +10 crit) even if they do not possess the necessary Perks.Effect 2: [Divine Authority]: Inflicts the [Charm] ailment on a critical hit.Effect 3: [Clarity]: The wielder can cast a variant of [Intelligence Up] (Tier I spell, [Support], 10 SP) at will on themselves and others within sight; uniquely, the spell will not only buff Intelligence for five minutes, but also dispel all negative [Mind] effects and related ailment.Effect 4: [Unused Spot].The sacred weapon of Vishnu, with which he has busted the skulls of many evildoers or beaten wisdom into the heads of fools. 22 carat, accept no substitute.

Very nice, Basil noted. Want me to upgrade it later with a rune?

Perhaps, his friend replied with a warm smile. But let us delay work for tomorrow, shall we? I believe weve all earned a rest.

Truer words have never been spoken.

And what did you receive, my friend?

Basil showcased him his gift: a pair of car keys seemingly made out of computer circuits. From what the System tells me, its a Steamobile upgrade, he told Kalki. But Ive no idea what it does.

Your Intelligence score is not high

I know, Basil snapped at the System. His fifteen minutes of genius hadnt lasted. He could only hope that the upgrade would let his team reach Bulgaria quicker. Kalki, can you cast your spell on me? I need to cheat on my System exam.

Tomorrow, my friend, Kalki promised with a tired wink. Tomorrow will be for work, tonight is for play.

Basil chuckled and glanced at the Christmas tree. Bugsy had prayed for an architecture kit to build new Lairs, and received something close: a magical Monopoly board game. The volcanipede had immediately set up the board, with Shesha, Garud, and Plato all ready to play.

Boss, look! Bugsy drew a go to jail card, and a mini-prison of folded paper appeared on the appropriate tile. It looked disturbingly realistic. I can imprison figurines!

Basil could hear muffled screams coming from the miniature jail. He wisely refused the call of capitalism. Ill join in for the next match after resting a bit.

Suit yourself, Kalki replied as he took his place among the players.

Basil would have expected Shellgirl to jump at the chance to participate, but the traumatized mimic had instead spent the last several minutes anxiously gazing at her gift; perhaps expecting to be disappointed. She finally mustered the courage to open the package by pulling off its ribbon.

Her anxious expression swiftly turned to joy, as she uncovered her newest treasure: a red sphere of energy that the Bohens had grown quite familiar with over the last few months.

You have earned the [Essence of Santa Claus]!

Basil stared at the notification, dumbfounded. Santa is real?

Santa was a god?

Finally! Shellgirls sorrow turned to glee. My wish is granted!

Are you sure that is good for your health? Plato asked lazily while petting his new red mane. His Christmas gift had been a Simba costume that, besides a modest Charisma buff, only seemed to make him look like a mini-lion. Which, in Platos case, was all that mattered. Its not even Greek! Youre breaking our teams theme!

Dont care! Shellgirl replied while opening her mouth. Here comes my ascension!

Wait, wait! Basil pleaded, but too late. Shellgirl greedily swallowed Santa Claus in one bite. Shellgirl, you ate Christmas!

And it tasted like chocolate, Shellgirl replied with a satisfied smile.

Congratulations, Shellgirl absorbed the [Essence of Santa Claus]! She has unlocked a unique metamorphosis (minimum level required: 70).

Basil let out a sigh as he was forced to accept the situation. Shellgirl would have big boots to fill next year if they lived that long.

Overall, almost everyone appeared satisfied with their gifts. The only one sulking so far was Rosemarine. She had wished for a gun and Santa Claus obliged by delivering a normal, human-sized gun. Her Fire Seeds tried to cheer up their creator the best they could, but Basil knew his tropidrake would sulk for the rest of the evening. Krampus had beaten Rosemarine the most out of everyone here, easily countered her usual strategy, and humiliated her. He had done his best to cheer her up, though she seemed too lost in her thoughts to listen.

As for Vasi, she was starting to worry Basil. His girlfriend sipped her hot chocolate without a word, staring at the fire as if she wanted to immolate herself. Her own gift lay unopened.

Vasi, are you okay? Basil asked her while gently caressing her thigh. You havent even touched your gift.

No, Im not okay. His girlfriend set her empty cup aside, leaned against Basil, and crossed her arms. He could tell from her scowl that her pride had taken a hit. One attack was enough to take me out of the fight. Without SP, Im useless.

Youre a mage, thats always a risk, Basil pointed out. I took a beating without your buffs. Thats why we work as a team: to cover each others weaknesses.

Vasi smiled thinly. I know you cant do anything without me, Handsome, she teased him. But I dont want to become a damsel in distress the moment I run out of Special Points. I need equipment to regenerate them quickly.

Maybe your gift contains one. Basil kissed her on the cheek to warm her up. Come on, Im sure youll like it.

Mmm Vasi smiled coyly. And what will you give me for Christmas, Handsome?

Basil moved his lips to whisper into her ear. Youll find it under the bed sheet.

You make an excellent case for an early nights sleep, Vasi mused. She grabbed her own gift box, which was no bigger than her fist, and opened it. Basil had expected a magical wand, maybe a potion recipe.

Instead it turned out to be a letter written in a language that he didnt understand. The words were runes of power charged with magical energy and radiated power; the seal signing it represented some kind of red dragon creature wearing a tiny crown. Vasi read the text once, then twice, then thrice again. Each time, her eyebrows furrowed deeper.

Its a magical invitation to an interdimensional family gathering, she finally said. My name isnt mentioned for some reason, but the sender is.

Why did she feel so tense in his arms? Does it come from your mom?

No. Vasi bit her lower lip. From my dad.