Teunaoh looked at the coin in his hand, still not quite sure if he wasn't duped. But what's done is done. The wood elf stepped back, opening the door wide.
Liam entered first, scanning the hut. It was full of dried herbs, potions, permeated by the smell of medicine.
To the right were a few simple mattresses woven from grass. A group of seven people stood next to them. They wore simple clothes provided by Teunaoh. Obviously, the party's arrival interrupted their healing process.
"Welcome, adventurers. Please don't come too close. Me and my brothers are carrying an infectious illness."
A man going by the name of Big Crow spoke, still harboring hope that the adventurers weren't there for him.
He had an angled face with incredibly sharp eyes. Black feathers grew from his head, an obvious sign of beastkin. He consciously held his clothes in a way to hide his upper arm.
The rest of the group looked similar, all smiling reservedly, taking Big Crow as their leader.
Unfortunately, Liam's words shattered their hopes:
"Save it. You know why we are here. Tell us who ordered you to place the void dweller in the forest!"
Immediately the Seven Crows' faces fell. Their eyes swayed left and right, searching for a way out.
"Adventurer. Don't put your nose in things where it doesn't belong. You leave me no choice but to silence you!"
The atmosphere immediately turned tense. Weapons were drawn. The Seven Crows used everything from daggers to claws.
The two groups stared at each, hostility filling the air. But suddenly an enormous pressure filled the hut. It was gentle yet domineering, freezing everyone in place.
"If you want to fight, leave my domain!"
Everyone felt awkward, quickly apologizing to Teunaoh. Big Crow turned his head towards the door. Suddenly a dark light enveloped him momentarily. When it disappeared, the fearsome bandit had transformed into a black crow.
"If you want answers, come to the forest. Otherwise, we will leave and you will never find us!"
Leaving those words behind Big Crow flew out of the hut, followed by his brothers.
The party didn't have anything left to do in Teunaoh's hut. Apologizing to the wood elf they hastily left, chasing after the flock of crows.
There was no need to go far as the Seven Crows were already waiting for the party.
"So you decided to come. Good. It's time to silence you!"
The fight began surprisingly fast. Big Crow, back in his human form, glided over the floor, aiming his two daggers at Liam.
Even the veteran was surprised. His movement was clumsy as he jumped to the side, at the same time giving his friends some pointers:
"This boss is quite strange. Except for Big Crow, they all share one HP bar as well as the same skill and attack cooldowns. But their aggro is different. You need to make sure to attract them all!"
[Stance -24]
"That's a thing?", asked Braag in surprise, inspecting the enemies.
[Big Crow
Rank: Boss
Level: 24
HP: 9700/9700]
[Seven Crows
Rank: Sub-Boss
Level: 23
HP: 8900/8900]
"Huh, strange."
"Who cares. One or ten bosses, we will kill them all the same!"
Overbearing Zen spoke confidently, his staff already raised, only waiting for the tanks to secure aggro.
Radiant Shield moved while talking. Slamming his hammer against his shield, a golden wave spread, slamming into Big Crow and one of his brothers. Simultaneously the tank turned to the left.
Another enemy had already closed the distance and was immediately met with Radiant Shield's body slam. The tank was stable as a boulder.
"Why do you meddle in our affairs?!"
The smaller crow questioned angrily as he stabbed a black spear at Radiant Shield. A tremor ran through the tanks body, reflecting the sharp spear tip.
[Stance -18]
A gracious melody spread over the battlefield. The party members felt themselves strengthened as they sent out the first wave of attacks.
Under Liam's direction they all attacked the smaller crows, while making sure not to draw aggro.
A freezing ice sword was quickly followed by a flaming sword, slashing at the spear user's head. The mages' passives worked together, lowering the enemy's defense.
[-291!]
[-273!]
Final Fend swung his weapon, the rattling of chains shaking the air sounding like horrifying shackles. He tried to hit all the smaller crows, but it was impossible. His efforts weren't futile, however, giving his friends space to attack.
Especially Braag was extremely careful. He didn't even aim at one of the enemies, but at the floor, afraid of attracting unwanted attention.
[-89!]
[-41!]
Silent Acacia didn't need to think that much. He placed his ultimate skill [Mark of Death] on one of the enemies. Since they shared their status the mark of death affected all the small crows. Silent Acacia grinned, three arrows leaving his bow like bullets of a pistol.
[-488!]x2
[-407!]
The hunter was proud of his damage but annoyed that none of his arrow landed a critical hit. However, this didn't slow down his movements. With a wave of his hand Zorn appeared on the battlefield.
Summoning his pet Silent Acacia almost wanted to shout a cringy sentence. Something along the lines of 'It's your turn, Zorn!'. However, he held himself back recalling the awkward feeling every time the Zen brothers called out the names of their skills.
Speaking of the two mages they had begun casting, gathering a massive amount of mana on their staffs. During the process they watched the number one party, Hotpot, at work.
The brothers were convinced seeing everyone moving with purpose even though only half of the original Hotpot was present.
A black clothed figure suddenly appeared behind one of the crows silent like a shadow. Blinding daggers stabbed into the enemy's back, immediately followed by two quick slashes.
Unfortunately, the desired stun effect wasn't applied. It appeared more like the opposite happened. The seven crows suddenly got extremely agitated. Their speed escalated as they seemed liberated of their shackles, allowing several enemies to attack at the same time.
"You won't bring us brothers down!"
Two opponents stood at the rear, carrying a staff and a bow respectively. They were so far unaffected by the tanks, free to choose their target.
Bloody Edge felt danger coming from behind his back. He attempted to get away but his positioning was suboptimal. Two enemies flanked him, making it difficult to dodge the magic sphere coming from behind.
[-207!]
Fortunately, the boss didn't have a high magic damage. The more dangerous attack was coming in the form of a shining arrow headed for Final Fend.
But the young man only showed a mocking grin.
"Ha! Perfect!"
With an arrogant exclamation he activated his skill [Flame of Punishment]. A fierce dark flame suddenly engulfed his weapon. With a skillful flick of his wrist, Final Fend retrieved his chainsword, wrapping it around his arm.
The arrow flashed in his sight, arriving swiftly. Final Fend brought his arm in the way. A heavy impact could be felt through the weapon, accompanied by a loud clang.
Instantly the dark flame left Final Fend, appearing on the attacker's body, burning brightly. Parts of the predicted damage were reflected as Final Fend secured the aggro of another enemy.
[-635!]
However, while the young man was still smiling proudly, the enemies didn't remain idle. Four of the smaller crows were focused on Final Fend, their weapons raining down on him.
He immediately felt the pressure. Final Fend tried to dodge with a jump backwards, but a violent great sword reached his flank, nevertheless. Fortunately, Radiant Shield always paid attention and conjured a perfectly timed [Holy Barrier].
[-934!]
[Stance -21]x3
The brightly shining barrier engulfed Final Fend, stopping the sword. It trembled faintly but didn't show any signs of damage.
"Thanks."
Final Fend was relieved, putting his focus back on the enemies. He briefly pondered his situation, coming to a decision. Protected by the barrier it was a great chance to use his ultimate skill [Storm of Flaming Chains].
Gritting his teeth Final Fend activated his skill. He opened his hand, where another chainsword appeared, formed purely from flames. The temperature in the surroundings increased. A sulfuric smell filled the air.
Suddenly Final Fend swung his arms. His weapons moved as if they had a mind on their own. They wildly lashed out in an area in front of him, mercilessly striking the enemies.
The crows found themselves at a disadvantage as each time one of them was hit, their shared HP bar decreased.
[-11!]x10
[-52!]x8
The fire damage caused by Final Fend's skill put heavy pressure on the crows. But this wasn't all as the chains caused deep cracks in the floor whenever they crashed into it, leaving a trail of flames behind.
Every time one of the bosses dared to put a foot into the flames, they would receive additional damage.
"Well done!"
The friends were amazed. The chaotically moving chains seemed to suppress the enemies alone. Even Big Crow frowned heavily, recognizing the unfavorable situation. The big boss's eyes narrowed dangerously as he shouted at his brothers:
"Transform! Quick!"