Haru: Apprentice 10/Acolyte 5
Optifex: Legionnaire 10/Initiate 5
Haru helped Opti organize groups for the players stranded outside the dungeon, near the entryway portal. After the last player entered the dungeon, the two looked around. Haru scratched her head, realizing there was no one else to come along with them.
“Should we wait here just in case some of them need help?” Haru stared at the entryway portal.
Opti shook his head. “They seemed to be getting it. Half the fun of this game is falling and getting back up again. Even if they wipe, I’m sure they’ll get it after another try.”
Haru wanted to insist in case they had questions, but before she could protest, her companion disappeared into the portal to enter the dungeon. She waited for a few more moments, if by chance some players came back out because of a wipe. But the silence started to get to her, and she then worried that Opti was all alone in there. So she relented and passed through the portal, entering the dungeon.
Inside, Opti was standing on the precipice of the portal, a half-step away from exiting as his back was to the swirling image of the dirt path that they just came from.
As the sight of the tower’s atrium materialized in front of her, Haru spotted a Gogo Bomber patrolling around, pacing beneath the giant golden chandelier hanging from the second-floor ceiling. “I thought you said it was going to be easier with just the two of us.” Haru whispered to Opti.
Opti leaned forward and looked out at the balcony to his right, which led to the Beast Master boss. “It looks kinda easier. There’s only one other goblin out there now.”
Haru sighed. “Let’s hope for the best then.” She drew her staff.
The legionnaire quickly drew his sword, targeted the Gogo Bomber, and charged at it using Line Breaker. He collided and stunned it, causing 10% damage. Then his auto-attack went off and dealt another 10%, bringing the goblin down to 80%.
Haru started casting Ice Bolt. It finished and hit the enemy for 30% damage. She gasped at the sight of the Gogo now down to 50%.
Then the goblin recovered from stun and turned towards her. It dashed straight for Haru. But halfway between the legionnaire and the apprentice, it stopped and started charging its Bomb Toss ability. It was in range to hit both of them and cause massive physical damage.
“Burn it!” Opti shouted. His auto-attack went off, bringing the creature down to 40%.
Haru then started rapid-fire casting Ice Bolt. After two shots, she took down the bomber, then blinked and let out a long exhale. “I see what you mean by easier.”
Opti scratched his head. “There used to be different mobs based on how many people entered, but just dropping their stats works, I suppose.” He grumbled. “I’m not a big fan of that method of difficulty adjustment, but I guess I wasn’t with the other devs to say that it shouldn’t be like that.”
Haru felt her companion’s frustration based off the rustling of the infection in her chest. “W—well, we should be able to make good progress, right? Maybe once this is all over you can get back and fix it.”
Opti hummed and then nodded to her. “I suppose that is a good point. Maybe this is a way to playtest different aspects of the game. I don’t think I’ve done that in quite a long while anyways.”
Haru smiled. “Right! It’s just testing the game and being able to fix it. No need to get too annoyed at it.”
The legionnaire laughed. “You mustn’t know me well enough then. That’s my nature, to get upset at every little thing. How do you think I made this game?”
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Haru shifted uncomfortably at the thought. Perhaps Opti was far more vulnerable to the demon’s draw than first anticipated.
“Well, why don’t we get a move on? This area isn’t going to playtest itself.” Opti chuckled, his face flashing a bright smile for a moment.
Haru straightened herself. “Okay, lead the way.”
The two moved through the archway and it put them outside onto the balcony overlooking the Plentiful Glade. There was a single Gogo Bomber pacing around the courtyard near the entrance of the stables to their left.
They both took down the goblin in the same fashion as the first. But this time Opti’s stun didn’t trigger. But Haru didn’t hesitate and opted to start rapid-firing Ice Bolt from the onset of battle. They took the creature out in three spell casts, plus one of Opti’s auto-attacks.
They advanced into the stable through the hallway on the right and into the back of the stalls. This time, the Beast Master was waiting in the area just outside the small room where the first key was stored.
Opti stopped at the far side of the room, blocking the way so Haru couldn’t pass. He turned to her and drew his sword. “I don’t know if he’s going to have those adds this time. If he does, take them out one-by-one. Try not to heal me until you take them down or they’re going to end up agroing you. My Line Breaker only works on one creature at a time, and I’m going to make sure that the Beast Master is focused on me.” He turned and looked at the boss. “Wait here until we know for certain what’s going to happen, then engage once you’re sure.”
Haru nodded and drew her staff, ready for combat.
The legionnaire walked closer, down the shallow set of stairs into the stone room with a small metal grate in the center. As soon as Opti was in range, he used Line Breaker on the Beast Master. The stun didn’t proc.
Haru waited, watching the two hallways, one to her left, the other to her right, intently. After the Beast Master struck the legionnaire for 10% in return, Haru was certain there weren’t going to be any adds. So she advanced forward and targeted the Beast Master.
Then the boss laughed and his two cats emerged, one from each hallway, and pounced on Opti, each hitting him for 5%, bringing him down to 80% total HP.
Haru then targeted the leftmost cat and started casting Ice Bolt. It landed for 50% damage. She then followed up, readying another Ice Bolt, confident that she could take them down easily. The cat turned away from Opti and started dashing toward Haru.
But after Opti’s auto-attack hit the boss for 10%, bringing the Beast Master down to 80%, the boss started charging his Onslaught ability. In an instant it triggered and buffed the Beast Master. Now he was immune to stun and was going to attack faster.
The Beast Master hit Opti for another 10%, bringing the legionnaire down to 70%. The rightmost cat hit Opti for 5%, bringing him down to 65% total HP.
As the other cat, now locked onto Haru charged, her cast finished and downed the beast.
But that did little to solve the larger problem that the Beast Master was now attacking twice as fast. In the time it took Haru to finish casting, he landed two more attacks on Opti, bringing the legionnaire down to 45% HP.
Haru worked quickly and started casting on the next cat. She had just enough mana to take this thing down and cast Mend once on Opti.
The first Ice Bolt hit the cat, bringing it down to 50% HP.
Then Opti’s auto-attack landed on the Beast Master, bringing the boss down to 70% total HP. But in return, Opti took two more hits, bringing the legionnaire down to 25% total HP.
The second Ice Bolt took down the cat. Haru targeted Opti and started casting Mend.
Opti used Line Breaker, but the stun didn’t trigger. Not that it would have affected the boss, but it would have been extra damage. Then his auto-attack went off and he brought the Beast Master down to 60% HP.
But the boss followed up with two more attacks, bringing Opti down to 5% HP.
Haru’s healing spell was almost charged.
The round began again. Opti’s auto-attack triggered, bringing the boss down to 50% HP.
But just as the Beast Master readied to attack, Haru’s spell triggered and Opti returned to 100% HP. Then the boss’s two auto-attacks landed, bringing the legionnaire back down to 80%.
Haru took a knee to get some mana back. She was going to have to carefully manage how much she had, but with the damage output that the Beast Master was capable of, she couldn’t afford to recover back to full.
Another round brought the Beast Master down to 40% HP and Opti down to 60%
That was long enough for 3 ticks of mana recovery, about 3 casts of Ice Bolt or two casts and a heal.
Haru decided to try her luck and hit the boss with an Ice Bolt. It hit him for 25%, bringing him down to 15% total health.
“Burn him down.” Opti called out.
After another round of auto-attacks and casting, the boss went down.
“Phew.” Opti sheathed his sword, looking around at the remnants of the mobs. “See? I told you it was easier.” He bent forward and propped himself up by pushing against his thighs with his hands.
Haru healed Opti to full and then knelt to go into recovery mode. “Totally. Easier.” She didn’t want to annoy him by disagreeing.
While Haru was recovering, Opti opened the door to the small room. On the desk was the first of three keys they needed to unlock the door to the main boss.
Haru hoped the next boss wasn’t going to have any tricks up its sleeve like last time but knew that was only a dream.