"I'm out of stance!"
"Healing please!"
"4000HP. We got this!"
The party members exchanged excited shouts. Their coordination was at its peak. They besieged General Basset, slowly driving him towards his end.
The party's skills were almost permanently on cooldown. Radiant Shield and Silver Blade had no stance left. The rest were low on HP as the boss constantly activated his powerful skills.
"We're getting close!", shouted Fortune as she waved her staff, throwing another translucent, magical sphere at the enemy. She only had enough mana left for two skills, but it didn't matter as all her skills were on cooldown anyways.
[-148!]
But suddenly the situation changed!
"AH!"
With a ferocious shout Basset swung his sword in a wide arc, pushing back the players. His eyes were bloodshot and his long, white hair danced wildly.
"I, Basset, won't die to a bunch of juniors! Forbidden technique: Dominating Storms!"
Bassets voice sounded extremely hoarse like a cry from the netherworld. His skin paled visibly, and his body shivered. He squeezed out his last bit of power.
"My friends, the enemy is turning berserk!", shouted Radiant Shield in shock.
His words barely reached the others through the roaring winds. Everyone had to shield their eyes as small rocks and dirt were grabbed by the storm, hitting everyone's body like hail.
A layer of surging wind surrounded the general. Suddenly he flashed and appeared at the centre of the square.
The party was shocked and failed to react at the first moment.
"Run!"
Finally Bleary Mirage turned around to warn his friends. Noticing the movement Silver Blade reacted as well. Their shouts sounded at the same time.
The friends woke up and followed Bleary Mirage towards the closest house. Thanks to their caution they had fought close to the edge of the square.
But General Basset didn't go easy on the players. The tornado formed faster, and its might had increased. For the party every single step forced them to use all their strength.
Those who didn't have any points in STR were pulled back after every step as if running on a treadmill. And even Radiant Shield and Silver Blade who had a high STR found it extremely straining to carry their heavy armours against the storm.
Suddenly a flash of light sparked, and Liam disappeared from his position.
"Expert! You're stealing my tactic!"
Cyclone complained indignantly. She wasn't really angry at Liam but more annoyed at herself for having used up her stance.
The same was true for Fortune. Only Balm had some stance left. The healer's eyes lit up as she copied Liam and flashed away.
Bleary Mirage appeared inside a building. His expression portrayed anxiousness. He hoped that more of his friends could escape.
Suddenly Balm landed next to him. Liam praised her with a nod before turning back to the window.
Bang!
The door was slammed open. Quickstep and Watchful Eye threw their bodies into the house.
But a moment later the tornado arrived. Helpless cries could be heard as the rest of the party was mercilessly thrown through the cave.
After a while the tornado dissipated, and the boss used his follow-up skill. When Liam stepped out of the building, he saw that under the combination of skills only Silver Blade remained.
The surviving party members gathered together, facing a berserk General Basset. The old man didn't stop swinging his sword. Each attack produced sharp, white arcs which threatened to cut the players apart.
Silver Blade found it difficult to defend even after Balm's [Regeneration] came off cooldown.
But the surviving players gritted their teeth and endured. They slashed, stabbed, and hit. Watchful Eye quickly had to realize that the wind surrounding the boss had a restraining effect on elemental damage. His skills were greatly restricted.
On top of that his QI was about to run out. He almost felt embarrassed as his damage entered the single digits.
Yet the boss's health continued to decrease steadily. It was mainly the hard work of Quickstep and Bleary Mirage.
Silver Blade sighed as the boss dropped below 500 HP. At that moment Basset's face already resembled a corpse except for his ferocious, red eyes. His sword flickered. An arc of white light cut at the tank. It was accompanied by roaring winds. Silver Blade closed her eyes, speaking her last words:
"You got this!"
As the tank's body disappeared Basset turned towards Liam the gnashing of his teeth producing a grating sound:
"Another enemy falls under my blade! My life won't end today."
Liam only sneered. He noticed the boss moving his arm, about to continue his skill.
A white light flashed. Its speed was incredible. But Liam reacted perfectly. He threw his body forward, rolling below the enemy's attack. With a jump he was back on his feet.
Both of Liam's swords flickered. [Holy Sword Trinity] came off cooldown at the perfect timing. The gorgeous, bright swords appeared behind his head, instantly stabbing towards the general.
A low explosion sounded as two holy marks were triggered. The blinding light pierced right into the general's scalp.
"AHH!"
The old man let out a pained shout. Half of his proud, white hair has been burned away. His face looked miserable.
"How could..."
General Basset was unwilling. But it didn't matter. As his HP bar disappeared, his sword vanished, and his legs gave in. The old man powerlessly dropped to the floor. His tumultuous life found its end.
"Finally!"
"We did it!"
"Huh..."
The party's reactions wavered between exhaustion and joy. Balm plumped on her butt, letting out a long breath. Quickstep showed a bright smile.
The four friends waited for a while until the rest of the party returned.
When the rattling of chains stopped, a red shadow flashed between Liam and Quickstep. A fleeting voice praised their success before Cyclone stopped next to the boss.
Even after seeing it so often, Cyclone's excitement for loot could still bring all the friends to chuckle.
A light flashed and the blond woman's lips formed a wide smile. It was obvious at a glance that the gains this time were extremely valuable.
Cyclone only revealed the items after her friends sang a round of praise for her luck.
Suddenly the square fell silent. Everyone was shocked by the items Cyclone revealed. She had directly drawn the [Bracers of the Vanguard of the Early Dragonslayers] meaning Silver Blade now had the second part of her item set. Unfortunately, the bracers had a level requirement of 36. Silver Blade would have to wait until after the dungeon to equip them.
On top of that Cyclone revealed an inconspicuous necklace which looked as if one would find it in a roadside stall. Only after reading its description did the accessory reveal its real value.
[Symbol of Enphanah
Category: Rare, Set
Level requirement: 33
Agility: +13
Physical Damage: +45
Critical Chance: +10%
Effect 1: Whenever you deal a critical hit, you next attack has a 50% increased critical strike chance.
Effect 2: Every five seconds you remain stealthed you will generate one stack of Ruthlessness.
Two-piece Set effect: For every stack of Ruthlessness, you have a 5% chance of applying Bleed to the enemy with every attack. Lasts for 5 seconds. If you don't apply bleed while out of stealth, your stacks will be reset the next time you enter stealth.
Three-piece Set effect: ???
Four-piece Set effect: ???
Restriction: Bound upon wearing, AGI above 90 points
Whoever dares to wear this necklace will be considered a member of the infamous Enphanah. This organization of assassins has taken countless lives. But be prepared. Your biggest enemies will be your fellow assassins.]
Everyone sighed enviously as they read through the item's description. The friends had longing in their eyes, eager to get their hands on set equipment suitable for themselves.
Yet Bloody Edge was hesitant for a moment. The necklace appeared to be suitable for thieves in general, but it didn't synergize perfectly with his class.
He asked his friends for their opinion. Liam explained that the combination of a thief who used holy damage is pretty rare and so was suitable equipment.
Liam knew enemies who might drop something in line with Bloody Edge's wishes, but it all depended on luck.
Hearing this, the thief carefully moved his eyes towards Cyclone. The young woman thumbed her chest, assuring that her luck was definitely reliable.
Bloody Edge was conflicted. Usually, he didn't have a stubborn personality. But this decision concerned his equipment for the next 25 or so levels.
Eventually the thief gritted his teeth and rejected the item. His friends had varying opinions, but they accepted his decision and promised him to assist with gathering a suitable set.
Meanwhile Cyclone put the item in the guild treasury. She even put a note next it, explaining the strength of set equipment. She nodded in satisfaction as she read through the tumult which erupted in the guild chat.
The friends also noticed what had happened. Silver Blade quickly said to Cyclone:
"Hurry up and alter that note!"
"Hm? Why?"
"We need to make it clear how rare sets are. We don't want to scam our own guild members."
"Oh..."
Silver Blade rolled her eyes thinking that Cyclone's was too used to her good luck. She was like a rich person not able to understand the struggle of the poor.