I’ve never been so happy to see a name appear on my HUD in all my life.

I can’t refrain from using all caps as I reach out to him with a PM

Me: REMBRANDT!!

The gunslinger messages back as cool as ever.

Rembrandt: We got you, mate. You take care of the queen.

When he says ‘we’, I think he means only himself and Becky. But now on the battlefield I see at least six all-terrain vehicles, mounted with machine guns, laying waste to the goblin horde. Huge numbers disappear from the Goblin Queen’s side on my HUD. The Goblin Queen seems to notice it too and a wave of confusion crosses her face as the tide quickly turns in our favor. She looks from the battlefield to face me and I expect her to swipe at me again with her staff, but she does something even worse and begins to glow with a golden light.

No, I think, she’s trying to heal me!

My abilities are now active but at 3% health, there is only one that will deactivate if I’m healed.

“Zenkai!” I scream, triggering my ultimate ability.

I transform before the Goblin Queen can heal me again, a surge of energy rushing through me as my stats and meters peg to full. The CC’s on my status bar evaporate as a burst of energy sends the goblin mages holding me, flying backwards ten feet or more with their HP bars reduced to half.

The world slows as I summon my Murakumo blade, once more at level 99 again to wield it. The strength of ultimate power fills me with confidence. Even the Goblin Queen is no longer a match for me. I deliver a chilling message as I level my ten-foot blade at monster controlling her.

“Now you’ll have full taste my wrath, you fiend…”

You use intimidate!

Dark Zanthea is Intimidated!

A look of terror flashes across the Goblin Queen’s face as I slam into her with a Charge Strike, taking a good 2% off her health. I go all out, overwhelming her with Mighty Cleaves as a two-hand myMurakumo while weaving in my protective spells and debuffs of my own.

You hit Dark Zanthea for 3500(4500) damage!

You cast Shadow Haste!

You hit Dark Zanthea for 3500(4500) damage!

You gain the effect of Shadow Haste!

You hit Dark Zanthea for 3500(4500) damage!

You cast Shadow Copy!

You hit Dark Zanthea for 3500(4500) damage!

You gain the effect of Shadow Copy!

You hit Dark Zanthea for 3500(4500) damage!

I chunk her health bar down to 90% and the Queen suddenly collapses from the rapid onslaught of damage.

Dark Zanthea is Staggered!

She falls on her hands and knees, and a permissive for a critical attack goes active on my HUD. I layer on a Power Attack while drawing back my Murakumo Blade with a Charged Attack. Her minions attempt to swarm me as I use the time to charge my attack, but in a second my meter is full and I slam my blade on the Goblin Queen’s crown with tremendous force.

You use Power attack!

You use Charged Attack!

Critical attack!

Dark Zanthea takes 23520(16450) damage!

Her heath bar drops another 15% as she goes flying backward, slamming into the balcony wall. The hit seems to wake her up though and she rolls on to her feet in a second. I check the timer on my Kono Zemsu form and see I’m down to only 50 seconds now.

I need to extend.

I turn my back to the Goblin Queen as she unleashes on me with a huge stream of dark energy from her staff.

Dark Zanthea uses Soul Lance!

Your shadow absorbs the attack!

Your shadow absorbs the attack!

Your shadow absorbs the attack!

You take 312(1231) damage!

You take 317(1241) damage!

It’s a wallop of an attack. Were I not in Kono Zemzu form I would have been incinerated instantly, but I ignore her to turn on the mages around me instead. They’ve all reverted to using their own casting abilities now that the orb is destroyed. They shower me with projectiles and other spells, but they bounce off of me with so little damage that my normal HP recovery makes up for it easily.

I activate Cyclone Shadow and spiral into them in, pulling them into a tornado of death as my Exceedence meter quickly pegs to Stage 1. I waste no time extending and add another 15 seconds to my time. A huge chunk of health suddenly disappears from the Queen health bar, but not by my doing.

Rembrandt uses Long Shot!

Rembrandt uses Piecing shot!

Rembrandt hits Dark Zanthea for 5804(3400) damage.

I send him a PM.

Me: Nice hit!

Rembrandt: Thanks, mate. Incoming by the way. Compliments of Becky.

Me: What?

I glance up to see the sleek, metallic body of bug-like drone flying over the edge of the balcony. It flies straight for Gilly and lands on her chest before pulsing with a green light.

Auto-Doc uses Revive!

Gilly is Revived!

Me: Holy crap! Thanks, guys!

I send the PM to both Rembrandt and Becky and the halfling replies with one of her own.

Becky: That’s the only one we’ve got. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Keep my sisters alive for me, Reece. :)

We’re back in the game thanks to her. With all my friends back there’s no way we can’t win! I whisper a prayer of thanks to both Rembrandt and Becky that they can’t hear, but that I hope to say to them in person soon enough.

Gilly gasps as she’s brought back to life by the drone, but her health bar is still the red at only 5%.

The Goblin Queen notices it too and aims her wand at her.

Dark Zanthea uses Soul Lance!

I sprint across the battlefield and scoop Gilly into my arms, turning my back to the beam.

You use Cover!

You successfully Cover Gilly!

You take 312(1231) damage!

You take 317(1241) damage!

You take 312(1231) damage!

You take 317(1241) damage!

I grit my teeth as the beam burns into my back, taking my health down to 60%. I ignore the pain as I look into Gilly’s eyes, which are now darting wildly as she tries to orient herself.

“Gilly, you okay?”

Her eyes focus on me and I can see terror there now as well as confusion. “That thing is down there,” she says frantically. “The thing controlling the Goblin Queen. I can see it now! It was waiting for us…”

Waiting for us? I try to figure out what she means, but then I remember what happens to us when we die on the surface; the slow descent down that transparent funnel towards the sea of fire-throated giants on that strange planet with two moons. Did she see this same creature waiting for her there?

The thought kindles my hatred towards it even further.

“Don’t worry, Gilly,” I say. “Rembrandt is back with the calvary. He raised you with a drone from New London.” But I don’t have time to fill her in on everything. “I have 40 seconds left on my Kono-Zenu form. Bring everyone back, quick! I’ll try to get her down as much as I can before my power runs out!”

This Other, whatever its name is, will pay for what it’s done.

I cast Shadow Copy, gaining a few shadows before Covering for Gilly again. I take another direct hit from the Goblin Queen’s death beam as Gilly raises her staff to the sky and sends a cascade of glowing white light across the battlefield.

Gilly casts Great Miracle!

Val Helena is raised!

Val Helena is fully restored!

Aiko is raised!

Aiko is fully restored!

Maxis is raised!

Maxis is fully restored!

I launch back into the Goblin Queen, pulling her attention with a Warcry to give my friends time regain their bearings.

“Eyes on me!” I shout, pegging her with a Shuriken for good measure.

I take off another 10% of her health as I perform combo after combo, weaving between her melee attacks and absorbing her AOEs spells with my shadows. Warmth fills me as Gilly tops me up with a heal IV and before I can even pull hate again, Maxis, Aiko and Val Helena all join in the attack, taking the Goblin Queen’s health down even further with their Holy-buffed weapons.

The LM hops back from us and then raises her staff again.

Dark Zanthea uses Unholy Rot Gas!

You are poisoned!

You are paralyzed!

You are slowed!

You are bleeding!

You are cursed!

You are diseased!

Pain sears my entire body as I’m frozen in place just like before. I’m shocked that the effects can even land on me in my Kono Zemsu form. It’s a testament to just how powerful the Goblin Queen truly is, but without her orb, it’s a whole different situation now.

We all easily free ourselves from the Paralyze Effect with CC breakers and then Gilly casts a spell that fills me with a cool soothing respite.

Gilly casts Cleansing Mist!

You are no longer poisoned!

You are no longer paralyzed!

You are no longer slowed!

You are no longer bleeding!

You are no longer cursed!

You are no longer diseased!

My pain disappears and my friends resume their assault on the Goblin Queen. Maxis takes the lead, tanking while Val Helena cleaves with her mighty axe using Power Attacks and Aiko hits the Queen from behind with Backstabs.

With the Queen’s focus now split, I use the time to rebuild my exceedance meter by spiraling into the last few mages that are left alive, bringing my meter to stage one again. I take another half second to retrieve my Zanbatō embedded in the wall, dual wielding it to increase my offensive capabilities even further. While two-handing the Murakumo made for stronger hits, my dual wield abilities should have my damage output soaring with my attack speed now.

My friends and I resume our onslaught on the Goblin Queen, me going all out with triple attacks. She fights back with AOE spells that take my friends down to a quarter health, but Gilly keeps us alive with expertly timed heals and quickly removing debuffs.

“We’re doing it!” Maxis shouts. “Keep it up, bro!”

I redouble my efforts, dodge tanking between the Goblin Queen’s strikes while keeping her attention with my damage and Warcries. She gets down to 24% health and Aiko wheels behind the Queen for an assassination attempt.

Aiko uses Backstab!

Aiko uses Assassinate!

Aiko fails to assassinate the Dark Zanthea!

Critical Hit!

Aiko hits Dark Zanthea for 2453(1423) damage!

Close but no dice. I eye my timer. I’m down to only 12 seconds.

I’m about to hit the extend button to buy myself more time, but I gauge the damage we’ve been doing and how much time I have left. It’ll be close. While tanking the Goblin Queen is easy in Kono Zemzu form, going back to normal, I might not last long enough for her to kill us all again.

I hesitate as I look at my two options.

Exceedence Stage 1:

If we ever need a burst of damage, now is the time.

I activate Unleash and the world slows again as my Exceedecne gauge empties.

You use Unleash Stage 1!

All effects gain 300% proficiency!

My attacks suddenly increase in damage by three-fold. The Goblin Queen reels as her health goes down to 13%, 9%. 6%. Then suddenly I feel my power leave me as my Kono Zemsu form runs out. My attacks slow as does my damage.

Damn, I curse inwardly. Even with the boost from unleash I wasn’t able to kill her in time.

“We still got this,” I say. “She’s almost dead! Use your 24-hour abilities!”

I draw the Goblin Queen’s attention with a Warcry and activate Perfect Dodge.

My friends quickly do the same.

Aiko uses Perfect Dodge!

Val Helena uses Rampage!

Maxis uses 1000 Fists!

Gilly uses Mana Well!

Aiko tries for another assassinate attempt but fails. I try to do the same but come up empty as well. Gilly keeps us healed as the LM spams AOE spells, but we get closer and closer to dying with each one.

Fear creeps into my blood for the first time. Even with all our damage the Goblin Queen’s HP barely goes down to 4%. It really was my Kono Zemsu form that had done most of the work.

“I’m nearly out of mana!” Gilly cries through the party chat as our situation slips from near victory to the brink of failure once more. “I already used my 24 hour and I’m out of CC breakers too. If she casts that aoe mist again, I won’t be able to free us!”

I send a frantic PM to Rembrandt.

Me: Are you guys close? We could really use some extra help from you and Becky!

Rembrandt: Still an army between you and us, mate. I’ll do what I can via long range.

I can see what he means when I look back to the battlefield. We’re winning but there are a lot of trolls and goblins to work through. We’re on our own for now. But now might not last very long at all.

The Goblin Queen must sense the shift in power and slows in her attacks as she lets out a low cackle. “Most impressive, Kono Zemsu. Thy nearly fell this vessle, but it seems that even thy best hast fallen short.”

“Ignore her!” Maxis shouts, his fists in a blur. “She’s at 3% guys! We can do it!”

I weave through another spell as I check the timer on my Assassination ability. “I got over a minute on Assassination.”

“45 seconds for me,” Aiko shouts. “But we probably won’t last that long!”

“Just focus!” Val Helena shouts. “At least she isn’t healing!”

Her words cause me to consider an even worse outcome. Val Helena was right. The Goblin Queen was capable of using powerful healing magic—she’d demonstrated that. I suppose it was a miracle she hadn’t uses it on herself already to top up her enormous HP pool. We at least had that in our favor.

As I lay on another triple attack the thought that we’d gotten that lucky seems almost out of place though. Perhaps divine intervention from Karlis could explain it, but this wasn’t a mindless mob, controlled by her. It was an LM possessed by an Other.

Was it possible the Other controlling the Queen was simply so shell shocked by my Kono Zemsu form that it forgot to heal itself?

No, I think. If anything, the Queen should have been even more desperate to heal herself. So why didn’t she?

The reason comes to me in a flash.

“Gilly!” I shout. “Cast Great Miracle on the Queen!”

“What?”

“Just do it!” I shout. “She’s undead. A holy magic spell that powerful should do massive damage to her!”

“Should?” Aiko echoes my sardonically. “What if it heals her?”

“I only have enough mana for one cast,” Gilly warns. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll be out of mana and we’ll all be dead.”

“We’re dead either way!” Val Helena says, landing a Mighty Cleave. “I trust Reece. Go for it, Gilly!”

“All right!” Gilly throws her arms up to start casting, her body shimmering with powerful golden light.

The Goblin Queen cackles again, her teeth on display in a leering gloat. “Such a pungent fragrance thou dost exude in advance of thy eminent demise. I shall relish thy flesh Kono Zem—”

Her words cut short as a golden hue engulfs her with a massive bang!

Gilly casts Great Miracle!

Dark Zanthea takes 30000(15000) Holy Damage!

Dark Zanthea is defeated!

Gilly defeats Dark Zanthea!

You receive 1,254,999 Experience points!

Congratulations! You gain a Level!

You are now level 98!

A howling wail of agony releases from the Goblin Queen’s throat as her body withers within the powerful golden light. It’s like watching the reverse of what happened to Keith’s son, her body aging and blackening before our eyes in seconds, her great beauty twisted into the grotesque form of a mummified corpse.

On the battlefield huge droves of the Goblin Queen’s undead horde crumbles into dust. Her numbers drop to less than ten percent, with just a handful of normal goblins, yet untainted by the Queen’s dark magic, left.

A trumpet sounds across the battlefield as my friends all jump in victory.

The battle is over.

We have won.