Silver-scaled horned wolf | Health : 34/34 | Mana : 88/88
Level: 10 | Next 3000 xp
Rank: 3 | Max Level 20
Mana cost: 8 | slot cost: 3
Element: Ice | Affinity: Magic
Class: Wolf | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+3/level)
Might: 33
Speed: 34 (+2/level)
Magic: 88 (+7/level)
Toughness: 24 (+2/level)
Resistance: 12 (+2/level)
-Abilities-
Chilling bite
Icicle pulse
-Innate trait-
Passively generates a thin shroud of ice encasing its body, shielding the wolf from the next attack. Max damage block: 30%(max mana). Once shattered, it takes 20 seconds before another layer of ice is regenerated.
Theron whistled when he made his way back to the tutorial zone, vowing to complete everything else over there before cleaning up the secret lair—and the treasure the night after.
Theron brushed the ivory furs of his vest, spending his last 3000 essences for the silver-back troll’s vest from the aspect store. As of now, he only had 1000 essences left in his name, not enough to purchase anything worth of substance.
[Silver back beast Ivory vest - Grants +5 might to all your active BEAST aspects. Increases [melee] ability damage of your BEAST aspects by an additional 10%. Requirements: 3x Silver back Beast Troll materia, 1x Silver back Beast Troll(Elite) materia. Costs: 3000 essences.]
Berys dredged past the small incline leading upward to the cliff face, its steps causing the hard soil beneath its feet to shudder every so often, enough to stir Theron’s heartbeat up a few beats. Unsummoning and resummoning Berys fetched too high of a manacost for him to use without thought.
The biting breeze of the night greeted Theron during his ascension; the scent of the old, murky forest graced his presence with the soothing sounds of rustling leaves and undergrowth. It had been a while since he last saw this place, and after tonight’s incursion, he probably wouldn’t return here ever again. His aspects trailed his path as he breached the forest, following a path set by his mind and the familiar formation of growths wreathing their figures.
It didn’t take long before he spotted it. The giant, spiked bear rested beneath a small opening void of trees. Dried bones and carcasses orbited its figure like flies—remnants of its last meal, a glimpse of Theron’s future if he underestimated this bear’s power. He strongly doubted he’d lose with his current strength, but he wouldn’t be surprised if this monster proved him wrong. Even after all the growth Berys attained, it still stood a few heads shorter than that beast.
Well, this has to be a unique monster, if not, then I don’t know what the hell I’m seeing.
Theron motioned both his aspects to take their usual position; Berys in front, and Lux hiding somewhere behind the cover of tree trunks. He used his shield active on Berys, pushing necrotic touch into its limbs, then prepared to cast a taunt and his aura for later. Is that all? He checked everyone’s status once more while bracing for the worse. The orange and blue bear snored when Berys stepped into its lair, eliciting a slight twitch from it, but it calmed when they stopped, oblivious of their presence.
His aura wouldn’t hurt the beast too much before it woke up, so he saved it until the fight began to extend the period in which he could reduce its might.
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Start with a bang. Berys, use Embolden claws and furious slam. Lux, use your piercing spell, deal as much damage as possible before it wakes up. And also… He stared at the spikes protruding on its back, avoid that at all costs.
His aspects heeded with a silent nod. Berys activated all the things Theron told it to, then waited for Lux’s nod before it struck, raising both its massive fists and performing an explosive crash on the bear’s sleeping figure, aimed at its head. The ground shook when its hit connected, followed by a pained roar from their foe, then silenced by a shot from Lux’s magic and Theron’s taunt activation.
Theron thought it dead at first, but the voice of his shield’s active cracking and shattering sobered him to reality.
Berys’ silhouette skidded far backward, painting a line where its feet held on for dear life. A look at its health showed it had lost ten hp from a single retaliation blow. Berys slouched as it dropped its battered forearms, showing the extent of the damage this monster could do.
This one isn’t a joke. Theron’s eyes widened in alarm as the hulking visage of the bear rose, its orange-blue carapace glinting when the moonlight bathed the scene, unveiling the mantle of black shrouding its head. Trickles of blood dribbled its cheeks and fangs, then to the spear-sized icicle stuck on its neck. Lux, keep firing! Theron raised his shield in anticipation, watching their foe’s movements with determined eyes while activating his aura. Their first round of assault hurt it, most definitely, but it wasn’t enough to finish it off. Judging from the bear’s state of health, at least a few more rounds of furious fisting were needed. Lux’s magic hurt it too, no doubt, nothing at that size penetrating that deep wouldn’t at least cause some damage.
The bear roared, its grisly voice shattering the glass of the midnight as it burst toward Berys. Its claws glowed yellow, A skill? An ability? What is it? Theron cursed while raising his shield and used its active once more, fearing the worst. Two quick swipes slashed Berys’ defensive forearms, drawing blood and shedding the fur off its hide, outlines of yellow tracing its assault. Theron grimaced as he watched his elite’s health falling, 5 damage from each attack, not that bad, but-
[Aspect is paralyzed for 5 seconds! Berys’ resistance reduced it to 2 seconds.]
What? Paralysis?
Berys froze. Not from cold, not from fear. Its body went completely rigid as if it were a statue. The bear hunched lower and prepared another barrage of swipes, but Lux’s icicles crashed the side of its face, halting its assault, but with the taunt active, it remained locked onto Berys’ still figure. Two seconds of eternity passed before Berys regained its senses, dodging the bear’s swipes by sliding backward.
Shit. A paralysis attack. That’s too dangerous. The revelation changed Theron’s initial strategy of toughing its offenses. Luckily, the bear’s speed didn’t reach a pace to which Berys couldn’t keep up—at a glance, they appeared to be moving at the same tempo. It’d be even slower if…
Theron snapped his head at Lux. Lux! Use your chilling bite. It howled as it dashed toward the two bears, slipping from the sides as its fangs glowed blue, spreading tiny waves of mist trailing its path toward their foe. Two fangs pierced its sides as the bear responded with a quick swipe to deter its follow-up attack, but the damage had been done. His wolf retreated back to his side while snapping its maw, flicking his head to sprinkle the blood off its fangs.
Losing its speed, Berys gained a few steps of distance and began to land punches on it, avoiding the spikes on its back the best it could. Every crash against their foe appeared to hurt it a little, evident from the tiny stumbles it displayed after a period of fighting. Two more ice spears struck the back of its head, each bouncing off its hard skull.
A flash of yellow light burst from the gaps between the scales of its carapace, revealing its true power hidden from within. Out of all types of elements and status ailments, he never thought this bear held the power of paralysis, and judging from the flashes of light scintillating within it, it could potentially carry thunder as well. A bolt of radiance lit from its core, shrouding its body with a yellow, translucent veil of flashing and flickering luminosity. In an instant, its speed shot upward, suddenly zipping all around Berys’ position, clawing its figure and inflicting multiple paralysis ailments. Theron’s shield shattered again as he ran out of mana, forcing him to chug another blue potion down to keep up his aura. How many seconds have passed since? How much health does this thing have?
Berys defended against the bear’s assault well, even when it was paralyzed neck down. With its troll blood and high toughness, it survived the bear’s incessant strikes at it, but it wouldn’t be able to last forever. Once the bear lost the glimmer of the yellow light, Theron ordered Lux to strike with another chilling bite, slowing it down once more, allowing Berys room to breathe. At that point, furious slam had gone off cooldown, and Theron wasted no time using it. Its slam, paired with Lux’s final icicle spear, struck the bear from both sides.
The forest shook once more from the impact. A bloodied image of the bear’s silhouette painted the bear’s hide, painting the scene of a heaving, injured, dying monster clutching to the vestiges of its life, slipping away with every passing second. Not dead yet? Theron frowned as it avoided Berys next attack while retreating, refusing to part with its life that easily.
At least 20-30 seconds or so had passed since he activated his necrotic aura. He’d at least dealt close to 100 damage from his magic alone—a display of how tough this beast actually was. Its health points must at least reach 300, and that was the low end of his estimation. The real number could soar above 400, or perhaps 500…
[Taunt has worn off.]
Their foe shifted its focus away from Berys, finally able to see its true enemy for the first time. A flash of chill froze Theron’s back from its intense glare. Come to me, Berys… Lux, flank this bastard if he approaches. He mouthed off commands from his mind, keeping his wits to himself from the incoming attack. Without the flashes of gold lightning—most likely due to cooldown or mana limitations—Theron had avenues to navigate through the incoming barrage of attacks. Its shoulders twitched, followed by its figure blurring into the darkness, fading into the air as it swerved to Berys’ side. It found a clear path reaching his left flank.
Lux was prepared to intercept if it advanced, and it did. Berys turned and rushed to meet the bear’s assault, crashing against the monster, a clap of thunderous air resounding when two massive objects collided. Lux swerved away, using the trees and the bushes as cover, its sheen of white peeking through the blades and branches before it sneaked toward the bear’s hind. Careful, don’t touch its’ spikes, Theron yelled inwardly, and it acquiesced by performing its last chilling bite out of its final drips of mana. A pained howl echoed, heralding the end of the bear’s life when Berys delivered two swings from its hefty, pulsating arms toward its head.
A small crack was heard when the monstrous creature fell, finished off by Berys’ final downward slam, snuffing its life away.
Three differently shaped figures celebrated their triumph with a relieved sigh. Had things gone slightly differently, like, if they failed to launch a sneak attack, or its paralysis lasted a twitch too long, then the result could’ve been different. But here they stood, menacing over the carcass of their recent kill, a sign of their growth, and also…
[Hidden event is completed!]
[You killed the Thunder-struck Ursus of Dawn. (1/1)]
[You are rewarded with 5000 essences.]
[You aspects gained 1000 experience points!]
1000… experience points?
Theron’s hands trembled when he extracted the bear’s essence, uncertain of what he would get.