Marcus caught himself staring as the woman approached, flanked by a massive wolf on one side. That thing is huge!
“Hey, Sarah,” Jess called out, stepping forward to greet her. “Dave you’ve already met, and this guy here is Marcus. That’s Alice beside him.”
“Hi,” Sarah raised a hand in greeting before pausing. “Wait, like the administrator? That Alice?” She asked.
“One and the same. I’m remotely operating a combat puppet.” Alice answered coolly.
“How does a place like this just appear out of nowhere, anyway?” Jess asked as she walked beside Alice, curiosity piqued. “Early adopters had the potential to receive Superior Classes. They’re more costly to progress, but more powerful, as you can see.” She replied.
Marcus took that lull as a chance to introduce himself. “Nice to meet you, I’m Marcus, I’ll be our supporter.” While he spoke, his eyes drifted towards the large warg that was walking beside her.
“Sarah, nice to meet you.” She replied with a smile. “This guy is Ras, Mona’s behind me, and Eyr is overhead.”
The group formed up just outside the Dungeon entrance before heading in.
“Like Marcus already said, he’s our supporter. He can tie an enemy up, but doesn’t have any attacking skills yet.” Said Dave as he took the lead. “I’m usually the vanguard. Ranged attacks and melee, plus I’ve got a barrier I can project to block incoming magic or attacks.”
“I’m a ranged attacker. Arrows, magic and stealth. I can also scout for traps when needed.” Said Jess.
“I typically act as a rearguard, this puppet is a melee and mid-range attacker.” Said Alice.
“Uh, my Class is a bit different. I have this skill, Heart of the Pack which fuses me with my bonds. Let me show you quickly.” Heart of the Pack.
There was a surge of power around Sarah before her body seemed to transform into mist, flowing into her three bonds. Moments later, there was another swirl of mist and Sarah returned.
“With Heart of the Pack, my bonds gain additional skills they can use, and we’re more connected.” She said. “But the downside is I can’t really speak while I’m like that, but I’ll understand anything you guys say. Ras is usually the vanguard, and Mona flanks. Eyr acts as a scout, but he’ll also distract and blind enemies.”
“Alright, guys. Let’s get in there. Should be able to reach the second layer pretty quickly.” Said Dave as he turned, stepping inside.
~
Skree~!
Eyr let out a powerful cry, causing the Redcaps to pause, leaving them open to Ras’ Charge. The massive warg barrelled into the group of creatures, sending most of them sprawling even as he managed to sink his jaws into one as he passed. With the creatures sprawled out on the ground, Mona struck, darting in to tear throats as arrows began to land among the fallen.
Redcap x6 slain. Gained xp.
The Tusken Bears and Redcaps had proved to be no challenge for the expanded group, pushing past them easily as they approached the foggy marshland of the first layer. “Watch where you step. The Drowning Roots will try to drag you into the water.” Jess advised as they moved through the dense fog.
Eyr flew low overhead, his sharp vision able to somewhat pierce the fog, revealing the location of Mucks before the group encountered them. Overwatch. The raptor cried out, projecting the locations of the would-be ambushers to the group.
Coming to a halt, Jess raised her bow and took a deep calming breath before beginning to draw. Energy flowed along her arm, gathering on the bowstring as it formed an arrow of pale light that gently stirred the air. As she drew back further, more power poured into the arrow, forming ice crystals as the temperature dropped. Her body was straight, and despite the tension, she looked relaxed as she pulled on the power. “Rime.”
Enhanced by her skill Overdraw, the arrow sprang from the bow with a dull crack as it split the air in the same moment the word left her lips, striking down her target in an instant.
Muck slain. Gained xp.
“Jess… it’s friggin’ scary that you can just one-shot things like that.” Dave said with a chuckle while she rotated her shoulder several times, working out the strain.
“Recovery.” At Marcus’ word, a gentle green light rose from her skin around her shoulder before sinking back in, repairing the backlash of Overdraw.’
The process repeated itself for the other singular Mucks they encountered, while Marcus got a chance to use his Binding Seal when they encountered a cluster of three as they approached the second layer.
~
Transitioning into the second layer, the Nightwood spread out before the group, with the moon hanging bloated overhead. “Be careful not to come in contact with any mushrooms or moss. Breath of Midnight is nasty stuff.”
The group moved cautiously among the trees while Eyr patrolled above, constantly on the lookout for traps and movement. They hadn’t been moving for long when they were assaulted by a cacophony of bellowing shrieks.
“Dark Howlers,” Dave said. “Form a circle.”
The group took up positions, facing outward as Eyr marked the positions of the enemies. The shrieking rose to a crescendo, ceasing immediately as a deep and bellowing roar resounded.
“The hell is that?” Marcus asked, staring at the hulking form that moved between the trees, ambling forward using its knuckles and feet.
It had arms as thick as tree trunks, standing 1.5m tall, glaring at them with its four piercing eyes. The massive ape was covered in dark, shadowy fur, except for a patch that resembled silvery moonlight along its back.
“That’s a Silverback Alpha.” Alice supplied. “It’s a strength focused variant Dark Howler with a very durable body.”
With a thunderous roar, the Silverback beat its chest as it bared its massive fangs for all to see. Shifting back and forth excitedly, it eyed the group before zeroing in on Dave in his Golem Armour.
“Protection.” Marcus whispered his spell under his breath, fortifying Dave’s defences as he stepped forward to meet the massive ape. As Dave stepped forward, the Silverback launched itself through the air landing a devastating punch, barely restrained by the armour’s projected barrier.
From overhead, the shrill cry of a hunter rang out, drawing the Silverback’s attention away from the group momentarily. Not wasting the opportunity, Ras Charged from the side, tackling the Silverback while Dave fired his AR in controlled bursts.
Dark Howlers began to advance from the surrounding darkness, trying to flank the group only to find themselves being Ambushed by Mona or struck down by one of Jess’ Rime arrows before Alice would finish them off with a thrust of her spear.
As more of the Dark Howlers advanced, not one, but two surges of power flowed into Mona. Just as Marcus cast Alacrity, increasing her speed and agility considerably, Sarah used her Natural Predator on Mona, causing her to undergo a transformation.
Her form shifted, becoming sleek and feline, and her paws became much more articulated, allowing her to grasp her prey in her now massive claws. Her flanks, spine, neck, and skull were now sheathed in ridged keratin with colours that seemed to fade into any background, making it even more difficult to grasp her position.
She became a whirling blur of claws and fury, tearing the Dark Howlers apart without mercy, rarely even touching the ground as she pounced from one enemy to the next. If it were only the Dark Howlers the group was up against, the battle would already be won.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Dave grit his teeth, bracing himself for the oncoming impact. BANG~! His body slumped to the ground, sliding from the tree the Silverback had pitched him into, bruised and aching.
“Recovery.” Pale green light blanketed both himself and his Golem Armour, mending the damage while Ras distracted the Silverback, always dancing just out of its reach. Furious, the Silverback picked up a nearby stone, hurling it at Ras where it struck like a bolt of lightning.
Crack~!
The Barrier Marcus had cast on Ras shattered in an instant, thankfully reducing the impact of the large stone when it struck him enough that he didn’t even stumble.
As the Silverback was about to strike again, a fierce cry came from overhead once more, invigorating the party while it drew the ape’s attention. Thrill of the Hunt!
Distracted, the Silverback was too slow to react when a black blur attacked the tendons in its legs. Ambush! With unprecedented speed, Mona tore into the ape’s heel, shredding the tendon before darting away to attack the smaller Dark Howlers once more.
GRAWawaWR~!
The Silverback screamed in agony while Dave returned to the fight, firing his AR at its unprotected face. The ape did its best to block the bullets with its arm, but more and more, it began to feel desperate. In the time since it had entered the fight, Mona, Jess and Alice had managed to put down many of the Dark Howlers while forcing the others to retreat, leaving it isolated. Now that it was wounded with limited mobility, uncertainty loomed over it.
Dark Howlers and their variants were creatures with considerable cunning, and among beasts were considered quite intelligent. Seeing the situation it was in, as the fight dragged on, it became clear to the Silverback Alpha that it would need to retreat and regroup if it wanted to bring down these enemies.
Dave advanced on the Silverback, swinging his mace as the large beast struck back, trying to create an opening for its escape, and while the rest of the group formed a loose cluster, striking from its blind spots, Marcus cast Recovery and Protection on Dave and Ras, ensuring they could keep soaking the powerful hits.
BAM~! Without warning, Dave was launched into the air after he’d moved in to strike the Silverback while it had seemed that Ras had its attention. Without delay, the ape launched itself towards the trees in a desperate bid to escape, only to find itself immobilised an instant later. Binding Seal!
With his spell taking hold, Marcus quickly cast Recovery on Dave to get him back in fighting shape while Jess began lining up her most powerful attack. Strands of vapour could be seen, pulled from the air to form an arrow of darkened ice on her bow while she pushed as much mana into the shot as she could. “Marcus, get ready to drop the seal.” She called out as she pulled the string back as far as she could.
Binding Seal was a powerful tool that could trap an enemy in place, but in turn, it limited the effects external forces could have on the seal’s target, which in this case meant it would protect the Silverback from a portion of the damage.
“3… 2… 1… Rime.” Marcus released his spell in sync with Jess’ shot, readying himself as its icy howl cut through the night air.
Thunk~!
Jess’ arrow punched through the ape’s back, piercing so deeply that the arrow’s tip protruded from its chest while its body was slowly overcome by the expanding wave of cold.
Much to the Silverback’s credit, it took it nearly a minute to die after Rime encroached it, no longer able to move or fight with its body paralysed by the deathly chill.
Dark Howlers x11 slain. Gained xp.
Dark Howler Variant (Silverback Alpha) slain. Gained xp.
Achievement Earned: Big Game Hunter (Eroa) - Be the first resident(s) of your celestial body to defeat an Advanced or higher Variant.
Receive Class Enhancement Token (Adv) x1.
Receive Free xp x2500.
