James broke the silence that had fallen after the howl ended, his voice steady and confident, not betraying a hint of the trepidation and excitement he felt. "Here's what we'll do. We set up in formation as soon as we enter the Boss's lair. Maria, you'll be in the center with Jean and Ezekiel. Your job is to cast those area control spells and take out as many wolves as you can while you do it.”
He turned to Lauren and Bethany. "You girls will be on the lookout for any wolves that get past Maria's spells. Pick them off before they reach the core.”
Looking at Tea and the rest of the melee fighters, he continued. "Our job is to protect the core and engage the Boss directly. We'll need to be adaptable, ready to switch between offense and defense at a moment's notice. If we see an opportunity, we should take it, but if the den is filled with as many wolves as we expect, we should aim at lowering that number before we try to kill the Boss.”
Tea nodded, her expression one of grim determination. “Let’s make sure to be ready for anything. This Boss has shown it's intelligent and resourceful. Expect the unexpected.”
With their roles defined and their strategy set, Team 0 and Tea's team approached the entrance to the Boss's den. The lair was a vast, open clearing, its limits outlined by dense foliage and mossy stones. The air was thick with tension and a faint sound of growling echoed from all around.
As they finally stepped into the clearing, the full scale of the challenge became apparent. Before them, spread across the vast space, were at least three dozen wolves, their eyes glinting in the dim light. In the center stood the Boss—a massive green wolf, its fur a deep, lush shade, almost blending in with the surrounding foliage. It exuded a palpable aura of power, and the air around it shimmered with mana to James’ skill.
He signaled for everyone to spread out, maintaining their planned formation. Maria, Jean, and Ezekiel positioned themselves in the center, with Maria immediately beginning to concentrate on her spells. The air around her crackled with energy as she called forth her magic but did not immediately release it.
Lauren and Bethany took positions on the fringes, weapons out and ready. Their focus was on the wolves, as they would be picking off any that tried to breach the perimeter.
James, Tea, and the melee fighters formed the front line, their weapons drawn and ready. James could feel his heart pounding in his chest, the adrenaline surging through his veins. This is a battle that can go several ways. We’ll just have to do our best.
So far, it hadn’t happened often that James met a foe he wasn’t sure he could defeat - excluding the Radiant Guild Leader and Callum Wright, but he had known Miss Walker to be waiting to swoop in then - and the excitement that coursed through him was almost surprising.
The Boss regarded them silently for a moment as they intruded into the heart of its territory, its eyes shining with malicious intelligence.
Then, it howled, and all hell broke loose.
A dozen wolves closed the distance in a flash, the earth rumbling with their every step while the ones behind them prepared spears and rocks of all sizes, before hurtling them forward at great speeds.
Daniel’s shield glowed brightly as he called on his Talent, making the weapons curve toward him, tanking the assault on his own.
Maria's voice rose above the din, an unfocused scream resounding through the air as she unleashed her spells. Pillars of flame erupted around the perimeter, scorching several wolves and creating a barrier that funneled others into more manageable groups.
Lauren and Bethany, from their hidden positions, struck at those beasts that had strayed too far from the pack, thinning the numbers further.
Meanwhile, James, Tea, and the other melee fighters engaged the wolves that breached Maria's fiery barrier. James's strikes were precise and powerful, his fists imbued with mana, shattering bone and sending wolves flying. Tea's staff was a blur, her magic amplifying each hit, creating shockwaves that knocked back their attackers.
Despite their efforts, the wolves were relentless. They moved with an almost unnatural coordination, their attacks synchronized as if controlled by a single mind.
Ezekiel and Jean worked tirelessly, casting healing spells and buffs, keeping the team's morale and health up. Their magic was a lifeline in the chaos of battle, allowing them to face such large numbers of powerful enemies.
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Finally, seeing that the tide was slowly shifting, the Boss entered the fray, moving with a grace and power that belied its size. Its fur shimmered with a green hue, vines and roots sprouting from the ground at its command, attempting to ensnare and immobilize the humans.
The addition of the Boss made things quite a bit more complicated and immediately equalized the battle. Maria tried her best to counter the green magic with her own, but to do that, she needed to stop harassing the smaller wolves, which meant the others risked being overrun.
Another, however, took her place. Joe, the fire monk from Tea’s team, ran ahead, his whole body igniting into a corona of flames as he shouted “Leave the Boss to me!”
James shook his head in irritation at having his careful placement of forces disrupted and shifted to the left, taking on more of the wolves and expending more mana than he would have liked to keep up with them all.
By the time Joe had gotten to the Boss - which was surprising in and of itself, as James had expected him to be immediately beset by a dozen beasts - Daniel had rejoined the defensive line, which made it possible to hold against the tide without losing ground.
The fire monk jumped over the last obstacle in an acrobatic feat and wasted no time attacking the Boss.
His body, wreathed in flames, was an impressive sight. His fists became a blur of fiery destruction as he leaped toward the massive green wolf. Each punch he landed against the walls of vegetation it raised sent fires everywhere, singeing the fur of the great beast.
The Boss, however, was not an opponent to be taken lightly. It countered with equal ferocity, its massive paws slamming down with earth-shattering force. Vines and roots, animated by its green magic, lashed out like living whips, trying to bind and strangle Joe.
James watched the duel intently with Awareness, simultaneously fending off the wolves that swarmed around him. Standing firm beside him, Tea dispatched wolf after wolf, her staff a lethal extension of her will. But even as they fought, their attention was divided, both acutely aware of Joe's precarious situation.
Joe was a whirlwind of fire and fury, but it was clear that the Boss was on another level. The control it had over the battlefield by manipulating the plants was overwhelming. Despite Joe's valiant efforts, he was slowly being outmatched.
"Tea, we need to get him out of there!" James shouted, concern lacing his voice. "He can't take the Boss alone!”
Tea nodded, grimly agreeing and not wasting time arguing in her teammate’s favor. "Bethany, Jean, with me. We need to cover Joe's retreat!”
They surged forward, cutting a path through the wolves, moving towards the epicenter of the battle. Sensing their approach, the Boss intensified its assault, calling upon a massive snarl of roots that jumped at Joe, intent on skewering him.
Realizing the situation, Joe attempted to disengage, but not before the massive wolf landed a powerful, if glancing, blow with his roots. The impact sent him flying; his flames extinguished as he hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Bethany and Jean reached him first, their faces etched with concern. Jean immediately began casting healing spells while Bethany provided cover, her electric staff fending off any beast that dared approach.
Tea and Mark, meanwhile, stood their ground, engaging the Boss to draw its attention away from their fallen teammate. Their weapons danced in a deadly rhythm, their every move calculated to keep the beast at bay while being careful not to get caught in its cunning traps.
Seeing that Joe was in good hands, James turned his focus back to the wolves. The situation was dire, and every second counted. He called out orders, rallying the team to tighten their defenses and push back the relentless tide of enemies.
Are they gonna abandon us?
The thought came unbidden, but James couldn’t deny his trepidation. Tea had been nothing if not pleasant and friendly with him - even too friendly, some could say - but this was a different situation entirely.
Healing magic, even cast by a skilled user such as Jean or Ezekiel, could only go so far if used in short spurts. To mend an injury such as what Joe had, time and peace would be needed.
The fire monk was out of the fight, and that was indisputable, but the others didn’t necessarily need to go with him. However, James wasn’t sure he could count on them to stay and fight together with them.
Would I stay here if Lauren or Daniel got hurt and needed to be evacuated? I don’t know, to be honest.
He tried not to think of how much harder the fight would be now that almost a third of their force would leave, as both Jean and Bethany looked to be gone for a while.
However, much to his relief, James sensed only grim determination from Tea, and when she shouted “We keep fighting! Let’s end this quickly!” To Mark, he exhaled a small sigh of relief.
The two Ten Thousand Eyes members kept dancing with the Boss, trying not to get caught in its tricky, dangerous magic to give their teammates the time needed to escape.
Once Joe was safely out of the immediate danger zone, Bethany and Jean, supporting his weight between them, made their way out of the clearing, quickly disappearing from James’ senses.
As Tea and Mark disengaged the Boss and retreated to where Team 0 was holding against the relentless assault of the wolves, aided by powerful gouts of flames from Maria and Ezekiel’s debuffs, which lowered the wolves' AGI, James tried to assess the situation.
“We've lost ground.” He said honestly, his eyes scanning the battlefield. "We've taken down more than fifteen wolves, but just as many remain. And the Boss... it’s not going to make it easy for us.”
Tea nodded, her eyes hard with resolve. "The Boss is the key. If we can take it down, the rest will fall, considering how dependent they are on it. But we can't do it alone. We need a coordinated strike."
Mark chimed in, swinging his sword to cut deeply into a muzzle that had gotten too close for comfort. “If Maria can funnel the smaller wolves with her fire, me and Daniel can hold them there for a while.”
James quickly grasped the suggestion and gave the Barbarian a look of consideration. It wasn’t that he had believed him to be stupid, but the man had kept his opinion to himself so far.
“I agree.” He quickly said. “Tea, Lauren and I will try to kill the Boss quickly, but Ez, we need you to work crowd control and try to keep the wolves here slow enough that they can catch them if they try to break containment.”
The others nodded, understanding the necessary simplicity of the plan. Considering how well things had gone so far, James wasn’t surprised that everything finally crashed down, but he wouldn’t give up so easily.
They were all weary, but their resolve was unbroken. They had come too far to back down now.
Maria just nodded and drank deeply from a vial, replenishing her reserves enough to do her part without risking coming up empty should anything attack her directly. Then, the redhead lifted her hands with grim determination, called upon her element and the clearing lit up.