Radiant Shield readied himself as the heavy spear aimed for his chest. Silver Blade offered to take over the aggro, but Radiant Shield refused. For now, he still wanted to do his job for a while longer. Thus, he hastily activated his newest skill [Sacred Protection] before the enemy's attack landed.
A spark of holy light suddenly appeared in the sky. Although it was tiny its aura was enough to rip a hole into the darkness. Suddenly it shot towards the ground at an impossible speed.
One moment it was still high above but the next it settled on Radiant Shield's chest, emitting a comfortable light which served to increase the tank's physical defence stat by 30% and even the magical defence by 15%.
The next moment the gleaming spear tip arrived, stabbing at Radiant Shield's chest. A violent power was transmitted to his body, causing him to tumble a few steps before he managed to regain his balance.
[-892!]
The draconian's spear dealt an intimidating amount of damage despite the skill and Radiant Shield's initially high physical defence.
"I will kill you and offer your heads to master Taragal!", growled the boss, sending a shiver down everyone's spines. After spending some time on the island, they didn't want to imagine what Taragal would do with the heads of his enemies.
But just as he closed his mouth, the boss's head was bombarded by two arrows.
One was insanity fast, being released later yet arriving earlier, enchanted with special magic, being one of Repha's most powerful attacks.
The other was surrounded by the illusion of a fearsome maw, its teeth glinting with lust for blood. The maw belonged to the head of a white alligator resembling Zorn.
This was Silent Acacia's new skill [Biting Arrow]. Since the skill had the effect of being more powerful if the hunter's pet was present, Silent Acacia had naturally summoned Zorn long ago.
The brave alligator now attacked at the same time, two animalistic heads puncing at the boss, one aiming for the draconian's head and the other for his tail.
[-164!]
[-92!]
Unfortunately, the damage remained low. Seytor and Repha remained the biggest threat. Finally, Bloody Edge wrote in the party chat.
[Bloody Edge: I can't stand this! Let us show the NPCs that our blades are not dull. I will reveal my ultimate skill in five seconds. Let us work together to end the enemy's life!]
The others agreed with their thief as they watched the boss's HP tick down, slowly falling below two thousand points.
But before they could act, the first Dark Herald unleashed another skill of his own. He turned left and right, unleashing powerful blows with his long, scaled tail, which turned out to be heavier than his own spear.
Everyone was forced to dodge. Bloody Edge, already prepared to strike, was caught off guard and was almost eliminated by a single blow which dealt more than 3000 points of damage.
The thief was shocked but luckily Balm's [Heal] was not on cooldown, aiding him in recovering his HP.
For a few seconds the party remained apprehensive, distancing themselves from the boss until he finally stopped his skill.
[Bloody Edge: NOW!]
On the thief's signal, the party abruptly sprang into action. They surged towards the boss from all directions. Silent Acacia applied his [Mark of Death] just as Bloody Edge appeared, dousing the Draconian in a powerful light.
Even the sturdy boss groaned as the skill melted his armor, turning him vulnerable.
The effect only remained for two seconds but it was enough to deal terrifying damage. Bloody Edge's dagger cut deep into the Draconian's exposed skin, taking more than 800HP.
And the party coordinated proficiently. Everony managed to get one or two attacks in. The boss suffered gravely. His HP bar emptied as if it was a glass of water which had been overturned. After a moment there was nothing remaining.
"Noo! I can't die yet! I, Mehphre, don't deserve to die!"
The Draconian let out a shout, his voice filled with years of grievances. He stared at the party with slit-like eyes, flames of rage and hatred burning in them. His face was distorted showing a discontent expression as he refused to die.
Yet his eyelids gradually grew heavier, her thoughts beginning to blur.
Repha lowered her bow, letting out a sigh:
"Only because you endured hardship you have no right to afflict so much suffering. It is time for you to go. Go with the grace of the gods. Maybe you won't be born as a Draconian in your next life."
The wood elf's voice was heavy, laden with feelings. It became quite apparent that she didn't hold Draconians in high esteem.
But as her words reached Mehphre's ears, they suddenly rang unbelievable loud in his brain, piercing the blurriness.
For a moment the Draconian's thoughts cleared up. He instantly used his chance.
"AHHH!"
His cry brimming with determination Mehphre suddenly revealed the earlier stone heart again. Without hesitation he slammed it against his chest at the position of his heart.
The stone instantly broke yet the dust didn't disperse. Instead, it rearranged itself, forming runes pulsing with an ominous aura, which quickly melted into the Draconian's body.
Mehphre convulsed in pain, suffering under terrible torture. Yet he forced his eyes to remain open. His instincts told him that if he closed his eyes he might never be able to open them again.
Proofing incredible willpower Mehphre held on as his own heart was silently altered by the external object.
Suddenly the air stirred. The black air in the sky, shrouding the islands, surged towards Mehphre who devoured it like a bottomless hole.
"Guys... what's going on?", asked Balm anxiously as a horrifying, devilish aura engulfed the entire island.
"Maybe the boss is levelling up?", suggested Quickstep.
"He was already strong to begin with. How can we deal with him now?"
"Don't worry. This won't be our problem. Let's just watch the show.", consoled Liam.
Immediately Cyclone's eyes brightened as she asked her friends:
"A show? Great! Someone got popcorn?"
"I have some of Serena's crispy food sticks.", said Silver Blade, generously distributing the snacks to everyone.
While the party relaxed, the NPCs felt their stomachs sink watching Mehphre transform. The Draconian's body began to grow in all dimensions, quickly becoming too big for his armor. The sturdy black metal began to snap, falling off his body.
What got revealed was a monstrous creature. Mehphre's human features were gradually fading as his body grew taller and sturdy black scales formed on his skin.
Two bulges appeared on his back, but they eventually failed to transform into wings. His feet became large with thick skin, his toes transforming into sharp claws. The scales grew irregularly creating a grotesque pattern on his skin.
The Draconian let out a deafening roar from his mouth which had taken the form of a snout. A few black sparks accompanied his voice, a single look at them making one shiver in horror.
Finally, Mehphre's transformation seemed to have finished. He slowly regained his mind, his eyes rolling chaotically until finally setting on Seytor.
The dwarf had to crane his neck looking at the opponent four times his height. His face was grave, but he didn't show any fear.
"So much... potential. Always dormant!"
Mehphre spoke in a raspy, animalistic voice, the meaning of his words unclear.
Seytor kept quite as his mind raced, thinking of a way to survive. He stared at Mehphre, glad that the monster didn't move yet.
Suddenly he noticed a faint vibration on his belt. It was the token he received as member of the Black Hand, signalling that someone sent a message.
Previously the black cover prevented communication with the outside but now this restriction was lifted. Seytor slowly moved his hand to his waist as if Mehphre was an animal getting excited by sudden movements.
Luckily the Draconian didn't seem to be in a hurry. His prey had nowhere to go, and he hadn't adapted to his power yet. Why should he move?
This gave Seytor a chance to listen to the message, which caused his eyes to show struggle. His spies informed him that Taragal was seen leaving Duabalis City, but it was uncertain if this was good or bad news.
"Hoping for help? Hehe, too late. Today you and everyone on this island will die!"
Mehphre's words dripped with malice. Seytor, Repha, and even the soldiers on top of the castle watched with horror as the monster made his first step.
Only the players sat at the side, eating and laughing. They proved their trust in Liam. If the expert said they had nothing to worry about then they wouldn't worry.
Suddenly a tremor ran through the island, caused by Mehphre's jump. He dashed towards Seytor, his claw raised high, aiming to pierce the dwarf's heart in one blow.
"Mehphre! We don't need to fight! If you leave now, the Black Hand has no reason to pursue you! We are here to free innocents and in a way, you have been liberated as well!"