The open clearing was a welcome sight after the tangles of the Bloom Forest’s depths, it always felt suffocating to have the trees on either side of her as she walked.
"It's such a relief not to hold a torch and do anything." Yvlena muttered as she walked. Without the Miasma to block out the sun, it left her hands and mind free to focus on her surroundings. A boar could show up at any moment now.
She recalled her ordeals fighting within the temple and fighting the Miasmic entity that Commander Addison had become during the last stretch of the merchant's quest.
"Now that was a wild ride." She said chuckling.
Yvlena’s mind flashed to the boar she would have to kill for Laurent. The last two times she fought them were tough but now she reasoned she had leveled up enough to make it much easier to hunt them.
‘Pork might be on the menu soon.’ Yvlena mused.
But if facing the enemies in this part of the game gave her so much trouble, she wondered what the proving grounds would be like.
Would the creatures there have triple digit levels? The ones so far only had single or sometimes double digits.
The Verdant Woods had creatures in the single and double digits range too, she hadn't really been taking note of them so far, but areas like the Avaresh swamp and the spider's forest would be good places to grind as the other players called it.
And if Mars spent so much time in the proving grounds, what was her level?
"What are you thinking about?" Dylan asked.
"Fighting those giant spiders in the Verdant Woods." Yvlena replied casually. Dylan paled at the thought of wandering into that area. Nothing would make him go there, not even Yvlena.
"Well, Good Luck with that." Dylan said with a nervous chuckle.
The clearing so far was a space devoid of any enemies, but Yvlena knew better than to trust the sight before her. It wasn't so long ago that a boar came careening out of the space, spawning into existence as soon as she made her presence known.
"Enemies are tricky here, so keep your eyes peeled Dylan." Yvlena warned. The young man beside her gulped and took up his sword. Lifting it with the intent to strike any enemy that tried to get the jump on him.
Yvlena shook her head. Was it over confidence that made her so sure she could handle anything the Bloom Forest threw at her? This area was still home to unexplored territory even the caves Ricardo had told her about were here.
"I could explore the caves later, it's the way to Rosenheim anyway." Yvlena said.
The soft sounds of grunting caught her attention.
Yvlena didn't have to think hard before she knew a boar was coming towards her party. It seemed they roamed these open plains a lot which would explain why there weren't any other enemies. The boars must either have scared them off or eliminated them.
"A boar!" Dylan yelled, lifting his sword ready to attack the animal that was running towards them. Yvlena grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Shaking her head at his impulsiveness.
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[Yvlena Cast Harvest Skill: Wide Sweep]
She swung her sickle, creating a large wave that sliced through the air and stopped the boar in its tracks. Yvlena glared at Dylan who could only grin sheepishly at the sight of her angry face.
“What the hell?!” She yelled, smacking him upside the head. “Try not to get yourself hurt, why don’t you.”
Dylan pouted, rubbing his head to soothe the pain of the scolding and smack.
"Kuti, weaken the boar so the others and I can attack it." Yvlena ordered, she lifted the doll from her shoulders and kept it on the soft grass. The doll stood, clanking its porcelain softly as it stood. She looked up at Yvlena, her tiny mouth set in a frown.
“You could break.” Yvlena said softly as she watched the doll raise her arms to be lifted. She tapped the doll’s face tenderly as Mars would often do to her. “I’ll pick you up when we’re done.”
It wouldn't be a wise idea to jump into the fray with the doll, which was probably why it was made out of porcelain. It was to be kept close to the summoner as the more active summons fought. But Yvlena wasn't like the average summoner, she enjoyed fighting alongside her summons.
That would be a problem in the future but not right now as there was only one enemy to focus on, besides, Dylan was close by.
Kuti nodded and focused her attention on the boar.
[Kuti Cast Weaken (03)]
[Boar afflicted with partial weakness -5% HP and Attack]
A symbol appeared over the enemy's head, smaller than the last time Kuti had attacked. The boar stumbled a bit as the status ailment was inflicted.
“I guess it’s not going to be accurate all the time.” Yvlena said, leaping into the battle. She raised her Moon Sickle, clashing with the tusks of the wild boar.
[Battle Skill: Rabbit Sting Combo]
Sprite and Rabbit Knight flew at the Boar, slashing and stinging until the animal squealed in pain and fell to one knee.
The boar shook itself off, digging its heels into the ground and stomping, its beady eyes shined with rage, it would attack soon and Yvlena didn’t want to be hit by whatever the enemy intended to do.
[Weaken has worn off]
[Boar cured of it’s affliction]
"Uh oh!" Yvlena said, side stepping and dodging a head on attack from the boar. It brushed past her with the intent to reduce her HP to zero. Its tusks would have given her a nasty hit, but luckily her agility points made it easy for her to avoid the large being.
[Sprite Cast Sting (01MP)]
[Rabbit Knight Cast Rabbit Volley (05MP)]
Her summons dove out of the way, with Sprite narrowly avoiding a stab with the ivory tusk of the rage-filled boar.
They retaliated with attacks of their own, aiming for vulnerable spots that would send the animal down faster.
[Yvlena Cast Harvest Skill: Wide Sweep]
Yvlena used her harvest skill to slash the air once more, sending a wave after the boar.
The wave struck, forcing the boar to come to a standstill once again. It grunted, stamping its foot into the grass and dragging it back, the boar crouched low, and soon a game prompt was flashed across the elf’s face in warning.
[Wild Boar Cast Charge]
"Charge?" Yvlena asked, the boar began to run towards them and as it did, energy built up around its head. With each step it gathered more and more momentum, sparking with an unknown force.
Yvlena didn't even attempt to block and leaped out of the way but now the Boar was heading straight for Dylan and Kuti.
The NPC held his sword up to block its attack, his face set in determination. He fully intended to tank the boar’s charge attack.
Yvlena gripped her head as the stress of this young man began to overwhelm her.
"Dylan, move, you can't block it." She cried, running after the boar. If she could stop the creature’s attack or tank the hit, maybe they could still win and complete the task.
"What the hell does he think he's doing?!”