A quiet valley somewhere in the Dutchy of Saint Erven, a human dutchy close to the western ocean. Typically, the most excitement this valley saw were the occasional merchant caravan fending of some hungry monsters.
But on this day a magic circle which had been prepared beforehand suddenly erupted in a bright light. A moment later a large amount of people appeared out of thin air, all wearing startled expression upon noticing the change in environment.
"A group teleportation?"
"Woah, where are we?"
"Damn, the guild came prepared!"
"Nice one Cyclone!"
The scene was chaotic as the players slowly dispersed, making it difficult for Cyclone to regain control. Fortune pushed through the crowd, searching for a suitable angle.
Jumping on a small rock she recorded the scene while enthusiastically talking to her viewers.
"Dear viewers, please excuse me for not being able to say much before. Our guild has just appeared in this mysterious valley. What secrets could it hold?"
Fortune talked some more before falling silent, focusing on Cyclone who began to address the guild.
"Everyone, thank you for your patience. Many of you guessed it right, we are going to fight a world boss!"
Immediately a commotion ensued, drowning out Cyclone again. It took a few seconds until she could continue to talk:
"Please follow the upcoming instructions of your team leaders! This fight won't be easy! We all need to work together. I'm looking forward to your splendid performance!"
"You can count on us!"
"We got this guild leader!"
Cyclone smiled seeing everyone in high spirits. She used the chat to inform the team leaders that Bleary Mirage would command the battle.
And Liam moved fast knowing that other guilds would definitely be searching for them. He chose this secluded valley for its inaccessibility. Entering the Dutchy of Saint Erven through a teleporter could only be done after going through a short quest.
Thus, Liam expected that it would take others hours until they could reach this valley. Depending on the guild's coordination this could be a long or short time.
Giving his first order, though, Liam was quite satisfied with the reaction. The guild members complied well, still in high spirits. Many were looking forward to having a new achievement under their belt.
Fortunately, Fate of Crunaboul had mechanisms allowing such big groups to work together. C was intelligent enough to realize that killing the world boss was a guild activity.
Liam explained this to the other members which also served to make them more compliant. Thus, Dream Avenue was soon spread through the valley. The ranged combatants gathered on paths leading up towards the sides while the tanks faced the mouth of the valley in a U-form, surrounded by the other close ranged fighters.
Everyone stared at the mouth of the valley full of anticipation. Soon a thief who had been sent away earlier reappeared, frantically running towards them.
He was called Friendly Dagger, a long-time friend of Bloody Edge. Since the latter vouched for him, Friendly Dagger was bestowed with an important task:
Luring the world boss into the valley.
Friendly Dagger ran as fast possible, carrying a pair of white gloves in his hand.
The other guild members watched him with strange expressions. They didn't understand why he looked so frightened.
Suddenly Friendly Dagger seemingly felt something. Goosebumps covered his body as the sensation of death enveloped him. His eyes staring at his friends not far away gradually filled with resolve. He swung his arm with all his strength, throwing the pair of gloves towards the tanks.
Watching the gloves sail through the air Friendly Dagger sighed in relief knowing that his job here was done.
"Ah!"
"Careful!"
Surprised exclamations ran through the crowd as someone suddenly appeared behind Friendly Dagger. He wore black clothes, moving silent like an elusive shadow. He didn't have the oppressive presence of the typical world boss but every move of his carried a threatening air.
The newcomer had a pale face and pointed ears. His eyes, completely black, struck terror in everyone's hearts. His fluffy white shirt was tattered, loosely hanging over his black leather pants. His short black hair appeared deceptively innocent in comparison to his demeanour.
The two blood red daggers in his hands cut through the air, leaving behind afterimages, slashing at Friendly Dagger's back, drawing bloody trails.
[-1306!]
[-653!]
The thief's eyes lit up with a spark of hope as a sliver of HP remained. He was just about to use a skill to get away when one of the daggers changed its trajectory, cutting at his neck.
[-653!]
Everyone watched in surprise as their fellow guild member was sent to the graveyard.
[Cyclone: Hey, why can he attack so fast?! Was this a triple attack?!]
[Bleary Mirage: It's a world boss after all.]
The world boss didn't care for everyone's thoughts. He slowly raised his head, his black eyes filled with malice falling on the guild members, causing their hearts to beat wildly.
He took a single step forward, his posture arrogant, building an invisible pressure. Slowly his eyes fixed on the pair of gloves, which had been picked up by one of the tanks.
The man shivered faintly, throwing the gloves to Radiant Shield as if they were an unstable bomb about to explode.
Radiant Shield subconsciously caught the gloves. He felt the fine leathern material, which was surrounded by an eerie, cursed energy. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his mindset and raised his head, checking the boss's status.
[Vren Solganoh
Rank: World Boss
Level: 24
HP: 350.000/350.000]
A shiver ran down the tank's back as he stared at those black eyes which felt as if they could separate one's soul and body.
"I knew you couldn't hide forever Lephrin. It is time for you to pay!"
Vren spoke with an ominous grin on his face, but his words caused confusion among the guild members.
Silver Blade, always interested in the game's lore, asked Liam to explain.
[Bleary Mirage: In short: Vren is a tomb raider. He and his partner Lephrin were quite successful until a curse affected Vren. Since then, he was under the delusion that Lephrin betrayed him when in truth the curse made him backstab Lephrin.]
[Cyclone: And what about his ears? He doesn't look like an elf...]
[Bleary Mirage: He's a mix between human and dark elf. Ok, careful guys, the fight begins!]
The chat turned silent. Vren walked up step by step, staring at Radiant Shield. Finally, he came into attack range. Radiant Shield officially opened the fight.
The tank stood at the centre of the U-formation, slamming his hammer against his shield. With a crisp sound a wave of light spread, ruffling the sparse grass on the ground.
When it reached Vren, the tomb raider let out a mocking chuckle, disappearing on the spot.
Radiant Shield's heart skipped a beat as the pale-faced Vren suddenly stood in front of him, his bloodthirsty daggers drawing red arcs, eager to cut his head off. The tank moved quickly, raising his shield.
[Stance -27]
Thud!
A shiver ran through Radiant Shield's body, momentarily affecting his balance. Vren used the opportunity to avoid the shield with his second attack.
[-423!]
Radiant Shield had no time to worry about the damage, readjusting his defence and blocking the third hit.
[Stance -12]
With each swing of his daggers, Vren produced arcs of bloody red light which spread towards the sides, affecting the other tanks. Most of them managed to ready their shields in time, but a stack of bleed was added to their status.
[Bleary Mirage: Group leader, keep an eye on the tanks. Don't let anyone get more than three stacks of bleed!]
The various leaders acknowledged Liam's order while waiting anxiously for the signal to attack. He didn't dare to give the order yet. Against a world boss they had to make sure that Radiant Shield firmly secured aggro.
The tank also knew that everyone was waiting for him, not daring to delay. He spent the fury generated by [A paladin's challenge] as well as Vren's attacks to activate his skill [Nemesis].
A piercing pair of eyes appeared behind Radiant Shield, locking in on the world boss. Radiant Shield used this skill seldom since it boosted the damage he received from the focused enemy. At least for a couple of seconds.
However, it was also the most secure way to draw aggro, gravely important in a fight like this.
"Lephrin... how did it come to this?"
Vent sounded almost melancholic, but his actions weren't delayed. Another three attacks feel on Radiant Shield. Simultaneously Liam gave the order to attack.
Suddenly the whole valley was filled with movement as if Vren had poked a beehive. Countless attacks rained down on him. Fire, ice, earth, all kinds of magic were unleashed, the guild members eager to take down the world boss.
Everyone stared in awe at the firework filling the valley. The close-ranged classes were delayed for a moment before attacking from Vren's back.