Black, foggy figures were waging war everywhere, but the party members heeded Liam's order and focused on War. Only Silver Blade kept defending against Sin, who had returned to the ground, his attacks about to empty the tank's stance any second now.
Swords and magic slammed into War. Held back by Radiant Shield she couldn't personally take revenge, having her minions do it in her stead.
Fortune had just finished her [Arcane Bolt] landing a full eight hits, and reducing the enemy's HP down to one thousand, when a shiver suddenly ran down her spine.
A black figure behind the mage suddenly swept its spear in a wide arc, gracing the woman's back as she was still distracted by her own skill.
[-1904!]
Fortune inhaled sharply upon seeing the huge chunk of HP lost. Although the attack had already happened, she still jumped forward in an effort to get away from the foggy figures but unfortunately, those were everywhere.
Cyclone glanced to the side. Noticing her idol get hurt she intensified her efforts. Yet Fortune wasn't the only one under pressure. In multiple places the party members had to dodge awkwardly, some even finding themselves in a pincer attack, forced to take one hit.
The fight entered a scramble as everyone realized why Liam called War the more troublesome opponent. Balm showed off her newest skill [Pillars of life].
Surrounding a central pillar in random patterns, a dozen broad pillars of brilliant, holy light appeared pushing away the darkness. The central pillar erupted below War's feet, dealing continuous but low damage while the other pillars offered healing to the party.
Additionally, the damage dealt had a slight effect of prolonging the skill's duration.
Through Balm's explanation everyone understood the skill, doing their best to stay withing the pillars of light. The pressure brought by War's attacks was alleviated somewhat.
Finally, the black fog dissipated. Fortune sighed in relief upon being able to place full concentration on her cast. She was about to aim for War but as she locked onto the nephilim she helplessly watched the boss's body fall to the floor, realizing that the skill ended and so did the boss's life.
With the fierce boss dead, the fight became much easier. Under the party's concentrated efforts Sin suffered heavily.
The dark elf rose to the air from time to time, but it only delayed his demise. Under the cooperation of the ten players, he couldn't hold on for long.
Soon the battlefield returned to silence. Repha and Seytor gathered with the players, their own opponents lying on the ground behind them.
Cyclone went around looting while the others talked with the NPCs. The conversation didn't go on for long. The NPCs concluded that they hadn't yet made enough trouble to lure out the first Dark Herald. Thus, they and the players quickly split up to accomplish more tasks on the island.
"What should we do now?", asked Cyclone after a disappointing looting session.
"Should we split up again?", questioned Balm as well.
Liam pondered for a moment before giving his friends the option to decide:
"There is one quest you might like as we can meet with a familiar face. We can go together or split up."
The others mulled over it for a second before Silent Acacia was the first to answer:
"I'm ok with doing some random quests. We shouldn't delay too much."
"I'm with Acacia.", agreed his girlfriend.
The party discussed for a moment before deciding to split up. Liam would lead a group of Silver Blade, Cyclone, Fortune and Watchful Eye.
The others would search for some quick and easy tasks to get things done.
Thus, the five-man team left the castle, heading towards the only city on the island. Although the word city might be a bit generous and could only hold on compared to the surrounding villages.
Soon, a black wall came into view, clearly in a state of disrepair, holey as a sieve. A few soldiers of the Dark Herald patrolled the vicinity looking rather disinterested. Even if some monster came close, they only reacted slowly.
The party didn't have any difficulties entering the city without a fight. The scene was not much better than in the villages outside. Taragal's minions treated the inhabitants harshly, not better than slaves.
Some failed experiments roamed the streets. Since one would never know what abilities these had, the soldiers didn't dare to come close, leaving the experiments as another source of horror for the citizens.
At least the party was kind enough to take care of these monsters when they passed them. But even they couldn't clear the entire city as they had a target in mind.
Liam led his friends through the dilapidated streets until they reached a former taverns. The signboard hung loosely, barely displaying a few letters.
"Drn ih...", read Cyclone, her brows furrowed.
"What could the name of this tavern be? Dear viewers, are you interested in a puzzle?", asked Fortune while recording.
"Unfortunately Balm is not here, I'm sure she would like it.", commented Silver Blade.
Immediately Cyclone's eyes lit up, posing in the party chat.
[Cyclone: Guys, small riddle: What's the name of a tavern if only the letters 'Drn ih' are left on the signboard?]
[Radiant Shield: I shall bet ten credits on the first word being 'Drunken'.]
[Quickstep: Second word, dish. A hundred percent.]
[Balm: Gather more clues!]
[Cyclone: Let me see...]
Cyclone was amused by the small game, entering the tavern first, searching for any clues. Unfortunately there wasn't much to see inside.
The tables and chairs were scattered, mostly damaged. No decorations were left on the walls. A disgusting smell permeated the air originating from a counter covered in blood.
"Ew, what happened here?", asked Cyclone in disgust.
[Cyclone: I can't find any clues here. Only blood and dust.]
[Balm: Hmm, then how are we supposed to figure it out?]
Cyclone pondered for a moment before glancing at Liam. The young man naturally knew what was expected of him, answering ambiguously:
"You probably won't find a clue inside. But there is a big one outside. Even enormous."
"A big one? The city?", asked Cyclone thoughtfully.
Noticing no reaction from Liam, Silver Blade made a guess:
"The island?"
Still not getting a confirmation even Watchful Eye chimed in:
"The ocean?"
Finally, Liam nodded, causing everyone to feel like they were getting closer. The friends continued their conversation in the party chat.
A few seconds later Liam finally gave the decisive clue:
[Bleary Mirage: Radiant Shield's first guess was already right on the spot.]
[Radiant Shield: It is only natural. We are talking about a tavern after all.]
[Balm: Tavern, ocean, city close to the ocean. I think I got it! It's 'Drunken Fish'!]
[Bleary Mirage: We have a winneeer!]
Balm smiled happily reading all the congratulations in the chat. But when Radiant Shield asked how to give her money, insisting that one couldn't renege on a bet, she hastily declined, stressing that everyone was working together.
Yet Radiant Shield felt uncomfortable to go back on his word. Eventually the party decided to eat out together some time, sharing the bill for Balm's meal. The suggestion got everyone's approval, making them look forward even more to the completion of their gaming house.
Liam noticed that the short riddle had lifted everyone's mood. Although no one showed it on the outside, a keen observer would notice how the dark, oppressive island affected the players negatively.
Now the group's steps had lightened somewhat as they went up the stairs within the tavern, ignoring the dangerous grating of the wood below their feet.
The space upstairs didn't look much better. The floor wasn't as big as downstairs, leaving the space above the door empty. Railings prevented the drunken guests from falling but the cracked wood looked as if it would crumble from a single touch, devoid of any security.
Silver Blade walked right behind Liam, swiping her eyes around, suddenly freezing as she spotted someone. A person was seated close to the wall, her head averted from the party, looking through the window. A black, hooded cloak obscured her identity, but Silver Blade couldn't shake off a feeling of familiarity.
The others noticed the figure as well, realizing that this was the target they were here for. They approached slowly, prompting the figure to turn her head around.
It was a fair face adorned with strange golden lines. Pristinely white hair peeked out from under her hood. The woman would appear like a sacred being if it wasn't for the black colour spreading from her body, stopping at her neck.
"Oh I know you! Fu... something!", exclaimed Cyclone.
"Fuyerhan.", corrected Watchful Eye being the fastest to remember.
"Right. What are you doing here?"
Fuyerhan's eyes narrowed as she stared at the mage, her expression icy. After being defeated by the party in the first dungeon it was already a sign of goodwill that the former head priestess didn't attack on sight. She even spat out a warning:
"You better leave! Don't meddle here!"
"Hmpf. If you can stay here, we can as well! We defeated you after all!"