The sound grew louder and louder until there was no mistaking it. Breathing.
By the volume, it had to be something big. Something that could survive underneath a mountain like this. At some point, the expanded party had crossed a barrier separating the air outside and air within the caves. The atmosphere grew humid and the temperature jumped up to being nearly unbearable.
The entirety of the cave was slick with moisture and it was impossible not to notice the haze of steam and water vapor.
The incursions didn't grow fewer. Willow spotted more than a few structures as they quietly made their way through the rocky tunnels.
image [https://i.imgur.com/UThR9KT.png]
The paths narrowed until everyone was on their knees, squeezing through narrow openings and gaps between boulders. With one last squeeze, Willow pushed herself loose into... open air. Her feet slipped off the slick rocks and she felt her body move shift dangerously. She nearly cried out before Hana grabbed her and tucked her back into the wall.
It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but she could see them were in a large chamber. Above them, another tunnel fed further into the mountain. It must have been the source of the waterfall because while a small stream still flowed out, a boulder had collapsed preventing any more water from flowing through.
Willow looked down and stared at the scene below them.
The incursion created a small city below them. Buildings grew out of the ground, some with large reflective glass windows while others were built out of steel and concrete. But it was the thing at the center that caught everyone's eye. A large lizard-like creature with leathery wings, sleeping on the rocky floor.
She heard Jinyoung whisper beside her. "Holy shit."
Everyone knew what it was. It was a monster beyond anything she'd dreamed of facing, especially at her current level. A beast that most players avoided due to their pure lethality.
It was a goddamned dragon.
***
"Anyone order a fire-breathing chicken?" the Guild Master quipped. For once, no one felt the need to laugh at his comment.
Hana took stock of the players in each party. The Thunder Bolt clan had led the group here simply because they had 3 ranged sharpshooter players. In the ensuing battle, they, along with any other ranged players, would have to keep their distance. Including herself, there was a war knight, a monk, a squire, a soldier and the Grand Master who could reliably engage in close-quarters combat.
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"I think we need to separate into functions," she started. "We can have the sharpshooters take up elevated positions while hand-to-hand fighters spread out on the ground floor.”
"What about the others?" a hunter inquired. He thumbed back at Willow and Jinyoung. "We can't have them getting in the way of things."
"Willow can be back up," Hana responded. "She’ll post up with the other scholar classes on the rooftops of the buildings.” There was a wizard, a summoner, an arcanist and a sorcerer, all of whom could cast high-level spells. Of course, dragons were shielded so any spells would be distractions at best.
“Jinyoung will be support.”
Support. In this world, there were no “support” classes. It was a kind way of telling someone to stay out of the way. Hana looked around and everyone nodded. Except for Jinyoung.
I can help, Hana.
I know, and I have a job for you. You're overwatch.
Hana had seen firsthand what Jinyoung was capable of. The duel with Dae had been a ridiculous idea, but it had brought to light just how powerful his [scan] skill was. The idea of anyone, even Hana herself, defeating Dae in mock combat was unthinkable. Obviously Dae had taken it easy on Jinyoung. If he had wanted, he could've killed Jinyoung within seconds. But the blocks and dodges had been a surprise.
We’ll keep this line open. You give me a head’s up on anything that’s coming our way. Have you [scanned] it yet?
No, we're too far.
Good. Using a skill now could alert the monster and Hana wanted to wait until everyone got into position. I need you to [scan] it as soon as you're in range. With any luck, I should be able to defend the party while the others deal enough damage to kill it.
Hana took a deep breath and didn’t say the next part out loud. With any luck, we’ll make it out of here alive.
***
Muho moved carefully. The ground floor was laid out like a city block. There was even a paved street surrounding it with six buildings surrounding an open space. A parking lot.
He turned around and signaled to Hari and Nobu. He had trained Hari from her start as a fighter until she had made the jump to soldier. Nobu was a shade who had petitioned to join him for the Seorak Outbreak quest. While his Korean wasn’t great, the man had made himself easy to work with and proven he was lethal at close range. The last addition was a squire from the Arcane Fox clan. Through him, they could communicate with the scholars on the upper levels.
They made it through the dense cluster of buildings and peeked out from the corner. Across the clearing, on the opposite side of the parking lot, Muho spotted the shield knight, war knight and monk.
The two teams couldn’t communicate, but the tradeoff was that Muho’s party was essentially whole. At the very least, they’d be able to work together to keep the squire safe and deal maximum damage to the dragon.
“Everyone’s in position.” Muho tightened his grip on his sword and turned to the squire. “On my signal, have the scholars unleash hell.”