บท 54: Head Priest Fuyarhin (I)
Fortune tried to dodge the incoming attack but she wasn't fast enough.
[-203!]
Next to Fortune, Balm didn't get a chance to cast her heal when she saw the woman falling.
"Fortune!"
[Player Fortune has died!]
The notification shook the party.
"Damn."
"How dare you, stupid skeletons!"
Cyclone felt frustrated as she watched her idol die before her eyes. She casted a [Holy Strike], wishing to exterminate the audacious skeletons.
[-105!]
[-105!]
Two brilliant rays of light barreled into the skeleton's head as Cyclone's tome miraculously triggered. With a crisp sound the opponent's dry skull shattered, leaving only dust behind. Another elite died.
However, Cyclone wasn't happy, admonishing herself for not attacking earlier.
A moment later Bloody Edge appeared behind the skill-casting skeleton guard, ramming his dagger into the opponent's back, emptying out its HP.
Only five enemies remained. Radiant Shield wore a guilty face as he closed the formation, stabilizing the party. The rest of the fight was tense but manageable.
Balm focused on healing, keeping the two tanks alive as they held back the monsters.
The other party members moved with purpose, dishing out as much damage as possible.
A few minutes later the skeletons finally fell.
Cyclone had an unhappy look on her face, hitting the ground with her wand.
"You bunch of broken bones! How dare you kill Fortune! Come on, stand up and let me kill you again!"
Balm stood next to her friend, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"Nonono, mister skeleton, stay dead! Just go to rest!"
Liam chuckled from their antics as a voice came from nearby.
"Sorry guys, I let you down."
Fortune caught up with the group. Within a dungeon one could return thrice after death as long as the party wasn't wiped.
"No, friend. You put your trust in me, and I failed you. I have to apologize.", said Radiant Shield with righteousness in his voice.
"N…"
"Let it be.", interrupted Liam as Fortune tried to speak again.
"We shouldn't harp on every mistake. Just learn from it, guys."
"You are right, Bleary Mirage. I will train my movements and be ready to dodge next time."
"Yeah, but instead of dodging we should start training flash step.
The same goes for you, Cyclone and Balm."
Suddenly being mentioned, Cyclone was puzzled:
"What is flash step?"
The rest of the party held the same question, looking at Liam.
"Flash step is a mage's way of using stance. Without 50% of your points in INT you won't be able to learn it.
On top of that it's rather difficult, but once you got the hang of it, flash step is more efficient than simply dodging."
"Something like this exists? How does it work?"
Fortune's eyes sparkled, staring closely at Liam. She knew that a tutorial on such a mechanic made for a great video. She could already see millions of views rolling in.
Liam glanced at her, pondering for a moment.
"50%!"
Fortune was taken aback.
"What?"
"My cut from the video."
"B…"
"Don't argue. You are already making money by recording us. Honestly, you should be paying us anyways."
Fortune opened her mouth, but no words came out. Eventually she let out a sigh.
"You are right. We can negotiate some terms."
"Good."
Fortune didn't take it to heart. She was a veteran content creator. Naturally she worked with others before, having made similar deals.
Liam on the other hand was glad that Fortune was susceptible to reason, not starting an argument.
"Well then. You better listen up."
Cyclone dragged Balm towards Fortune, lining up like an obedient student.
"No need to overdo it, I don't expect you to succeed in one day.
Flash step is difficult because it is unintuitive, involving the movement of mana in your body.
Those among you who have trained in martial arts before might have an advantage.
Close your eyes. Concentrate your mind and focus on your body. You need to feel the mana flowing in your body.
It's a strange sensation, similar to the blood in your veins but artificially generated by the game.
If you manage to feel the mana, you want to push it, letting it run faster. Your body will enter a highly energetic state.
Next, you need to imagine your body moving purely by will and you will perform a flash step, teleporting a short distance.
Train often enough and you will be able to accomplish it in an instant."
"It really resembles some martial arts techniques.", murmured Silver Blade.
"Yes. But ultimately it is only a mechanic assisted by the game. Mages can't really move their mana freely."
Cyclone, Balm and Fortune had wrinkled foreheads as they tried to replicate Liam's instructions.
The three mages closed their eyes, focusing on their bodies. They tried to perceive the mana running through them.
"Ha! Got it!", exclaimed Cyclone happily.
Liam stared at her in disbelief:
"Really?!"
"Ye… ah no, never mind."
Luckily Cyclone still had her eyes closed, not seeing the other party member's annoyed looks.
Liam allowed the three women to try for a minute before reminding them:
"Alright, you should train later. We still have a dungeon to clear."
"Just a bit more, I'll soon get it!", complained Cyclone.
"Ok. Then I will collect the loot in the meantime."
"Don't you dare!"
Everyone chuckled as Cyclone's eyes shot open, staring fiercely at Bleary Mirage.
Seeing the warrior stop in place, the blond woman nodded calmly and approached the monsters on the floor.
The loot wasn't impressive compared to the number of monsters, but at least they received a green-magic shield for Radiant Shield.
A short while later Silver Blade gathered the party, facing the hallway which was free of flames by now. A large red metal door with religious engraving could be seen at the end.
"Looks like a boss fight is coming up."
"Brace yourself, brave companions!"
"Let's do this."
The party hyped themselves up as Silver Blade pushed the heavy door open. An extensive room came into view. Fire bowls burning with black fire were lined along the walls, illuminating mosaics of a tall nephilim fighting various races with his two spears.
Patches of vents were scattered all over the walls and floor.
Silver Blade studied the room with a sharp gaze, asking Bleary Mirage:
"I guess those vents can spew fire?"
"Exactly. Those vents will turn red before firing, so stay vigilant."
Everyone nodded solemnly as they entered the room. The door behind them shut abruptly, sending a tremble through the room.
A light in the ceiling turned on, falling on a person kneeling in prayer. He wore a long white robe, his hear white as snow.
Two large wings grew from behind the man's back.
But those wings deviated from the usual half-black and half-white of original nephilim as they were almost entirely doused in a black tar-like color, with only a few white feathers remaining at the left tip.
While the boss closed his ominous wings behind his back, standing up solemnly, the party didn't forget to inspect him.
[Head Priest Fuyarhin
Rank: Lord
Level: 9
HP: 3000/3000]
[-0!]
Seeing a magical attack hit Fuyarhin's back, Liam looked at Cyclone strangely.
"He's cheating!"
"The fight hasn't started yet."
Cyclone rolled her eyes, obviously not a fan of this mechanic.
Meanwhile the head priest didn't appear as if he noticed the attack at all. He turned around, showing the party his righteous face adorned with thin golden lines.
"Brothers and Sisters. Why? Why have you come to do the bidding of the haughty holy nephilim?
Shouldn't you assist us? Isn't it the wish of every original nephilim to rekindle the pact with hell? To be able to wield both the powers of light and darkness again?
Oh, how glorious we were back then. It didn't matter if others looked down on us as we dominated with absolute strength!
But now! Look at us! Fighting amongst ourselves, simply because those holies say so? Pathetic!
Reylar will succeed soon! And I won't let you stop him!"
While the head priest spoke, black lines crept up his neck, stopping below his chin. His narrow eyes turned red. An ominous dark power played around his wings.
Suddenly he began moving. Taking out a long white staff he rushed towards the party.
Liam and his friends had already honed their teamwork well enough. No one panicked as they took on a basic formation, with Radiant Shield meeting the incoming attack.
But before the priest could come close, he was already welcomed by the party's ranged attacks.
[-52!]
[-25!]
[-34!]
[-101!]
"Nah, my damage… this guy has high magical defense."
Cyclone was displeased, seeing the disparity between hers and Silent Acacia's damage.
Fuyarhin however didn't show any change in his ferocious expression as his staff clashed with Radiant Shield' shield.
[Stance – 7]
The tank was just about to announce that the head priest appeared to be weak in attack when the enemy did something unprecedented.
The head priest's staff turned quickly, attacking with its other end as well.
Radiant Shield was taken by surprise, only able to defend hastily, his stance negatively affected.
[Stance -9]
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Mykrail
Mykrail What do you think about the dungeon so far?
I would be glad to hear your opinions
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