The room smelled like old meat and bad decisions.
It was a circular arena surrounded by a moat of green acid. In the center, sitting on a throne made of fused skeletons, sat the Rotting King.
He was huge—easily fifteen feet tall—wrapped in tattered royal robes that did nothing to hide the fact that he was mostly exposed ribcage and green slime. He held a scepter that looked suspiciously like a human spine.
[Boss: The Rotting King - Lvl 15]
[Ability: Necrotic Aura, Summon Minions, Grab Attack]
"Gross," Sera said, her voice echoing in the silent room.
The King roared, standing up. The sound was like a garbage disposal chewing on a spoon.
"Combat initiated!" I yelled, scrambling behind a pillar. "He's winding up! Overhead smash, three seconds!"
Sera didn't need to be told twice. She dashed forward, a blur of silver. The King brought the spine-scepter down with enough force to crack the stone floor, but Sera was already gone. She slid between his legs, slashing at his ankles.
"Right flank exposed!" I shouted, watching the red wireframe lines flicker over the Boss's body. "Strike the knee joint! It's calcified!"
Clang!
Sera's blade sparked against the bone. The King stumbled.
"Good! Now back off! He's doing a spin attack!"
Sera backflipped away just as the scepter swept the air where her head had been.
It was working. It was actually working. For the first time since we met, we were in sync. I was the CPU, processing the data, and she was the GPU, rendering the violence.
"Left! Dodge left!"
Sera sidestepped a glob of acid spit.
"Thrust! Ribcage, third from the bottom!"
She lunged, chipping away a chunk of his health bar.
[Boss HP: 35%]
"We have him on the ropes!" I felt a surge of adrenaline. This was just like managing the holiday rush, except the packages tried to kill you. "Keep the rhythm! Don't get greedy!"
The King roared again, changing his stance. He dropped the scepter and raised both clawed hands. The air in the room turned heavy and cold. Purple energy gathered in his chest.
My interface screamed at me.
[Warning: Phase 2 Transition.]
[Attack Incoming: Royal Decree (AOE Stun)]
The data lines turned a frantic, flashing crimson. The radius of the attack was massive. If she stayed close, she'd be paralyzed.
"Liquidation!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "Sera! Pull back! Get to the pillar!"
Sera looked at the Boss. She looked at his exposed chest core, which was glowing brightly.
She looked at me. And then she smirked.
"He's open," she said.
"No! It's a trap animation! Sera, move!"
"Watch this, Arthur!"
She didn't retreat. She charged.
"[Cataclysm Blade]... Mini-Burst!"
She channeled her mana, aiming for a finishing blow before the Boss could cast his spell. It was a gamble. A high-risk, high-reward play that looked great in montage videos but got people fired in real life.
She was fast. But the System was faster.
The King didn't cast the spell. He grabbed her.
It was a bait. He had canceled his own animation to intercept hers. His massive, skeletal hand snapped shut around Sera's waist mid-air.
"Gah!" Sera gasped as the air was squeezed out of her lungs. Her sword clattered to the floor.
"Sera!" I stepped out from behind the pillar.
The Rotting King laughed—a wet, gurgling sound. He lifted Sera to his face, his jaw unhinging to reveal rows of jagged, yellow teeth. A countdown timer appeared over her head.
[Squeeze Damage: Lethal in 10 seconds.]
"Let me go, you oversized compost heap!" Sera kicked uselessly, her boots clanging against his ribs. She couldn't leverage her strength. She was pinned.
"Arthur!" she squeaked. The arrogance was gone. She sounded like a frightened child.
I didn't think. I ran.
I sprinted across the open arena floor. "Hey! Put her down!"
The King ignored me. He was busy crushing the life out of my only ticket back to Earth.
I needed a weapon. I reached into my Inventory. I needed the heaviest thing I had. I reached for the giant boulder I had accidentally picked up on Floor 3.
[Error: Strength Insufficient to Wield Item.]
[Status: Overburdened.]
My legs felt like they were moving through molasses. The digital weight of my inventory was bleeding into my physical stats because I was in combat mode. I stumbled, nearly face-planting on the stone.
"Damn it! Not now!"
I was twenty feet away. The King was opening his mouth wide. Five seconds left.
I couldn't attack him. My frying pan would do 1 damage. I couldn't pull out a heavy weapon because my Strength stat was garbage.
"Think, Pendergast! Supply chain bottleneck! How do you clear a jam?"
You dump the cargo.
An insane idea formed in my brain. It wasn't a combat maneuver. It was a warehouse protocol.
I scrambled underneath the King's massive, bony legs. I looked up at his rotting underside.
"Hey, ugly!" I shouted.
The King looked down.
"Delivery for the King!"
I opened my [Inventory] menu. I selected the "Select All" option. And then I hit "Drop."
[Warning: Are you sure you want to discard 4,000 items?]
"YES!"