Chapter 42 - A Castle on Sand, a Throne in Flux, Part Six
"So, [Bastide, Scion of Dust], huh…"
Its HP bar had two layers. Compared to the five-layered monstrosity of its predecessor, it seemed considerably weaker.
Its appearance, too… various parts of it were clearly still developing, and its smooth, glossy hide looked rather soft, having just molted.
But—what was this? This awful feeling.
I had a few ideas about bosses with the 'incomplete form' attribute that appear in the second half of a battle, after a much more intimidating boss serves as the opening act.
For example, sometimes they're weaker than the first boss, just as they appear.
For example, sometimes they're given absurdly high stats, contrary to their appearance.
For example—in exchange for their frail bodies, they're sometimes given some kind of cheat ability.
"—Tch!?"
It was pure reflex—no, not even reflex. Acting on some kind of premonition, I had instantly leaped back from my spot.
In the next moment, right before my eyes—a storm.
"Whoa!?"
What suddenly erupted was a sandstorm, no, a sand tornado. A pillar of sand that could easily swallow a truck raged, scattering a deafening grating sound as massive amounts of sand scraped against each other.
I was hit by a simultaneous gust of wind, and my airborne body was sent drifting. I readjusted my grip on Sora's avatar to protect her and hurriedly tried to control my posture to land—ah, crap, you've got to be kidding me…!
A dry laugh escaped me as I looked up at a scene that had transformed into a new kind of 'hell.' I've had enough already, what is this!?
You could call it a swarm of tornadoes. The sight of countless sand tornadoes, large and small, rampaging chaotically was one of the scenes you might imagine if asked to picture "the end of the world."
What was hilarious was that the one that had launched the first attack on me was one of the smaller ones. The larger ones were big enough to easily swallow not just the [Scion of Dust] that had likely caused this phenomenon, but even the thirty-meter-long [Great Serpent of Dust].
If the great serpent was a physical cataclysm, then the scion was—no, that doesn't matter! What the hell is a physical cataclysm?! My brain is fried!!
"Dammit, I don't know what the clear condition is! What am I supposed to do?! This is seriously final-boss-level content!!"
Shielding Sora from the violent curtain of sand kicked up by the tornadoes, I let out a stream of curses at this game design that had finally gone off the rails.
And crap, in the end it's an area-wide damage zone anyway!?
It seemed the raging sandstorm wasn't just for show. Looking closely, I noticed our HP was slowly being chipped away.
The rate of depletion was still merciful compared to the life-or-death battle against the serpent I experienced solo. But it was still a definite, ticking clock leading to a game over.
Sora, you're a lifesaver… If I hadn't gotten that heal, I would've been toast instantly.
My HP wasn't full, but it was restored to about seventy percent. Sora's was below half, but since her VIT stat also affects her HP, her total should be higher than mine.
Judging by the rate of decrease—I had about five minutes of leeway, no, maybe four.
"Think…!"
Where is this insane game design leading?!
If I'm supposed to defeat that thing from this position—it's going to be difficult. I can't wield a weapon while holding Sora's avatar. Since she's unconscious, I can't have her hold on, and I have no intention of just dropping her in a desert where lethal tornadoes roam chaotically.
So in that case, it's a checkmate. I'll have to survive as long as I can, and then, though it'll be incredibly embarrassing after acting so cool, I'll have no choice but to apologize to Sora.
After deciding on one route I'd very much like to avoid, I search for other possibilities—Daaamn it, this is so annoying!!!
"What's wrong with you, amazing game! You've suddenly become the epitome of a trash game!!"
Forced into all-out evasion by the tornadoes that were not only numerous but also moved erratically at a speed that made me want to complain that they'd messed up the settings, I couldn't even think straight and just screamed profanities.
It wasn't just the tornadoes; this sandstorm was the spawn of Satan. I tried to look around for some kind of hint, but my visibility was so poor that it was impossible—tch!?
"Gah—my ba—ck!!?"
As I desperately fled from the oncoming tornadoes, something tripped my feet without warning. I lost control and went tumbling, Sora and all—and as my whole body slammed into the ground, a searing sense of wrongness shot through me.
"What, it's hard…!?"
My head spun from a sensation clearly different from diving into sand. I frantically looked around for Sora's avatar, which I'd dropped—and then I noticed.
"Huh…?"
—Something that should have been there was gone. No, more accurately, it had decreased.
It was the very thing that had tormented me, toyed with me, and at the same time, supported me throughout this [Great Flowing Sand Cavern]—in other words, the sand.
The sand that had always been overflowing at my feet was now completely gone, revealing the bare skin of sandstone, the same color as the cavern ceiling.
I see. I wasn't tripped. The ground I'd been on before sank slightly when I stepped on it, but compared to that, the feel of the hard rock surface just made it seem that way.
"What is—"
What is happening? I pulled Sora, who was right beside me, close and forced my confused mind to work, trying to assess the situation.
Now that I've realized it, the change is so dramatic that I wonder how I didn't notice it sooner. Not all of it, but most of the sea of sand that had been enough to call the inside of the [Great Flowing Sand Cavern] a desert, had vanished.
Where did it go—no, I see.
The intensely dense sandstorm that was currently blocking my vision. And the raging sand tornadoes that were still rampaging. It was all being used as a resource for those, changing the battlefield—
"—!"
One possibility flashed through my mind.
In games, large-scale terrain changes are a rare element. And when they're not natural but man-made, they almost certainly carry some kind of 'intent.'
For example, to signal the appearance of some kind of 'path.'
In that case, there must be something. Amidst this god-awful visibility—no, precisely because of the poor visibility, this game, being a game, has an obligation to inform the player of 'it' in some way.
There has to be a hint.
There has to be a landmark.
Something that indicates 'it,' in a way that will always catch the player's eye, no matter where they are on the battlefield—
"—, "
I stood up, holding my partner's avatar, and ignored the tornadoes grazing past me as I stared intently at the field, completely absorbed.
A sensation I sometimes experience during high-speed maneuvers came over me. My consciousness slipped out from behind me, as if I were viewing the world from a third-person perspective, threads of perception spreading out into the space.
There were only three things visible in my current situation. The sandstorm, the tornadoes—and the [Scion of Dust], standing tall towards the ceiling, faintly glowing.
Among these, there's only one thing with a distinct movement. It is—
"………………………………Hah."
The moment my eyes caught it, a dry laugh escaped me unconsciously.
At its unnaturalness, at its obscurity—at the sheer malice of the designer, I couldn't suppress a nasty grin.
I dodged a tornado coming straight at me. Leaping far to the side to avoid it, I—didn't stop moving anymore.
"You think you can just toss me around however you want?! Fine by me! I'll clear this thing if it kills me!!"