Big Crow's shout was loud, drowning out the rattling sound coming from the chains.
His brothers complied quickly. They were enveloped by a black light, taking on the forms of crows with gorgeous black feathers and dangerously gleaming beaks.
Big Crow did the same. Like earlier his figure transformed. But the black light around him didn't disappear this time. It suddenly changed, forming a small bubble which enlarged abruptly. The light bubble grew in all directions, engulfing the surroundings.
Before the players knew it, they found themselves in a domain created by the black light. The forest became dim and cold, enveloped by a horrifying atmosphere.
The two mage brothers, previously quite arrogant, now shivered. But they hastily reminded themselves not to appear frightened in front of the guild's core members.
Fortunately, no one paid much attention to them as everyone looked ahead, frowning upon the now missing enemies.
"Caw! Caw!"
Hoarse craws sent shivers down everyone's spines. They searched for the source, finding a black crow circling above their heads.
Liam recognized the skill which was about to come. In his past life the Seven Crows had to be fought in a different location, and this skill was their ticket to fame.
Running towards the trees, he hurriedly informed his teammates.
[Bleary Mirage: We need to hide. Quick. That crow mustn't see you!]
[Braag: Got it.]
[Final Fend: Where can we hide? The trees?]
[Bloody Edge: Is stealth enough?]
[Bleary Mirage: Yes and yes.]
[Overbearing Zen: What about our casts?]
[Bleary Mirage: Interrupt them.]
Overbearing Zen and Dominating Zen looked at each other unwillingly. Meanwhile the rest of the party was already scattering. Fighting in the clearing was favorable so far but now proved to be troublesome.
The players hurriedly hid behind trees or threw their bodies into some bushes.
[Final Fend: F*ck, f*ck, f*ck, it has thorns.]
[Radiant Shield: Is your protective armor just for show?]
[Final Fend: It doesn't cover my face!]
[Radiant Shield: Oh, my condolence.]
While the two men were bickering again the mage brothers let out reluctant sighs and ended their casts.
But at this moment another craw echoed through the forest, signaling the start of the hunt. Immediately the brothers felt a sharp pair of eyes focusing on them.
Two more craws sounded out as crows shot out of the trees at incredible speeds like black darts. They didn't give the players any chance, slamming into their chests.
[-1304!]
[-1296!]
The mages were both shocked as each of them lost more than half their HP.
[Bleary Mirage: Move!]
This time the brothers didn't hesitate and urgently ran towards the trees, hiding in perfect silence.
[Melodious Edelweiss: @Mirage, what happens if the crow hears us?]
[Bleary Mirage: Nothing.]
[Final Fend: What? Then why are we writing in the party chat?!]
[Bleary Mirage: It adds to the atmosphere.]
[Final Fend: …]
[Radiant Shield: …]
[Bloody Edge: …]
[Bleary Mirage: Hahaha!]
Melodious Edelweiss chuckled lightly reading the chat. Her hand caressed her lute, producing a bright green note accompanied by a soothing sound. It dashed through the air, ignoring the foliage in its way and fell on Overbearing Zen.
[+556!]
But suddenly the bard felt an eerie sensation as if a pair of eyes were looking over her shoulder, causing her to shiver.
[Bloody Edge: The crow is changing its path! Careful, Edelweiss!]
[Final Fend: Is it a coincidence?!]
[Overbearing Zen: Can there be such a coincidence?]
Reading the chat, Bleary Mirage furrowed his brows. Could the crow have reacted to the noise caused by Melodious Edelweiss? This was different than in the past. Maybe a consequence of choosing [Hell] difficulty?
[Bleary Mirage: Sorry, maybe I made a mistake. Let's try to stay quiet.]
[Melodious Edelweiss: It might be too late…]
[Bleary Mirage: They haven't attacked you yet. Just try not get seen.]
[Melodious Edelweiss: How??]
[Final Fend: I can help.]
Final Fend was at the other side of the clearing. He peeked his head out, focusing on the crow in the sky.
[Final Fend: It's getting close to your tree. Try to slowly move to the left.]
Melodious Edelweiss's heart beat wildly. Her back was pressed against a tree. Trusting Final Fend's advice she crawled to the left, careful not to make any sound.
The crow glided above her head, to the right of her tree. Its piercing eyes scanned the ground but didn't spot any of the hiding rats.
[Melodious Edelweiss: It worked! Thank you Final Fend!]
[Final Fend: Don't celebrate too early, its coming back! Circle around your tree! Quick!]
The young bard's happiness was immediately replaced by anxiousness. Her body rubbed uncomfortably against the sturdy bark as she hurried towards the other side of the tree.
Suddenly a rustling noise could be heard. A black shadow shot out of a tree.
[-1351!]
[Silent Acacia: Oh no! Zorn! She's too big to hide.]
Melodious Edelweiss let out a big sigh of relief having escaped detection.
[Bleary Mirage: You need to call Zorn back.]
[Silent Acacia: But then I can't bring her back for this fight.]
[Bleary Mirage: Well, you can try your luck. The crows shouldn't attack her again in a short while. Maybe let her hide somewhere else.]
[Silent Acacia: I'll try. She can still take more hits. I will recall her if she's close to dying.]
[Quickstep: I wish he would be so concerned about me…]
A suppressed laughter could suddenly be heard, sounding incredibly conspicuous in the quiet forest. The crow in the sky immediately changed directions heading for Radiant Shield.
[Radiant Shield: You doomed me!]
Quickstep held her hands before her mouth, making sure not to break out into laughter as well.
Radiant Shield closed his eyes, pressing his body against the floor below a few bushes. He played by the century old rule of 'If I can't see you, you can't see me either'.
Unfortunately, the boss didn't seem to know about this rule. Its sharp eyes spotted the burly warrior, his armor shining through between the leaves.
[-810!]
"Ouh!"
Radiant Shield let out a low shout. Still believing Liam's earlier words despite his initial mistake, he stood up to change hiding places.
The boss seemed to ignore him for now, searching for new prey.
The party members all kept quiet, not moving even a finger, suffering under the oppressive atmosphere.
Above, the crow circled the forest, always ready to call for its brothers.
The seconds ticked by, seemingly infinite. A tree shook. A black dart flashed, crashing into Bloody Edge like the tip of a spear.
[-1277!]
[Bloody Edge: What? How?!]
The thief was perplexed. He could only guess that the crow somehow saw his arm poking out between the foliage.
Fortunately, saturation returned to the forest at this moment. The domain built by the black light was melting, signaling the end of the skill.
Melodious Edelweiss poked her head out, not finding the black crow. She immediately sent a green note to Bloody Edge before activating her [Song of Healing].
"Gioalh!"
Accompanied by her angelic voice a green circle spread with her as the center, filling the surroundings with comfortable healing magic.
[+556!]
[+278!]
Reminded by the bard everyone who lost HP downed a basic health potion before the bosses reappeared.
Overbearing Zen glanced at his brother, finding a scrunched face just as he expected. The latter noticed his brother's actions without needing to look, explaining himself:
"I can't get used to this taste."
"Then try not to get hurt.", joked Overbearing Zen.
"Didn't you get hurt as well?!"
"Well, ok. Let's not argue. We both need to do better."
"Ok…"
Liam glanced at the brothers, feeling gratified. Even if they were somewhat arrogant, they were willing to admit mistakes and learn from them. Liam was sure that if they kept such an attitude their potential was immense.
"Still not dead!"
An angry voice drew everyone's attention. They watched the Seven Crows stepping out of the forest with ferocious faces. Final Fend scoffed, asking a brief question:
"Mirage, do we need to regain aggro?"
"Better be safe than sorry."
"Ok…"
Final Fend readied his chiansword as the bosses came closer. He didn't run towards them however, as the flames caused by his ultimate skill still lingered. The bosses seemingly didn't care, walking right through them.
[-21!]x12
[-15!]
Big Crow took little damage, but his brothers' shared HP bar was reduced visibly.
Gradually the staff- and bow-wielder came to a stop, signaling that the battle continued. They threw their attacks while the tanks worked to draw everyone's attention.
Ice spikes erupted from the floor, cleverly placed to hit three enemies while blocking the way of one of them. Instantly an explosion followed shaking the surroundings.
[-144!]x3
[-162!]
Braag's eyes lit up. The dwarf saw his chance. He used his passive to increase his stats. 10 silver were spent to increase his physical damage by fifty percent.
A thought came to his mind while his expression looked pained.
Can I get this reimbursed by the guild later?
Luckily no one could hear him. The others only saw as his launcher's muzzle bulged, glowing red hot. A heavy black sphere shot out. Its path through the air looked as if it would succumb to gravity any moment.
Luckily it reached the location Braag aimed at.