At first, only the top of its head was visible of what was obviously becoming a rather hefty humanoid mob. With each of its booming footfalls, and as it got closer, it seemed to grow another foot or more. The bulk of what I took to be the giant’s body was partially obstructed by a large boulder in between our two positions, though that was looking comparatively smaller with each passing second.
“Ready up. This isn’t going to be pretty,” I said as I limbered up, swinging my battle axe up and held defensively before me.
A massive roar erupted from the throat of the creature. It sounded like an avalanche of rocks crashing towards our fragile bodies. As I was contemplating casting my first spell, a System message appeared in my vision. It caught me off guard and I blinked my eyes as my focus adjusted to it.
Notice! Wandering Elite Mob, ‘Khoores the Immense’ has engaged YOU! Prepare to defend yourself!
“Shit,” the distraction cost me precious seconds as I had to reorient on the approaching mob. I would have to ask for Stella’s help to stop that from happening in the future. This ‘Khoores’ giant had skin the color of a moss-covered bark. Deep shades of marbled brown were hidden beneath wide patches of bright green material. It covered the majority of his body. Though the creature wore no discernable armor, the moss appeared to be acting as protection for the towering brute as it covered him like clothing. The monstrosity came charging ahead, a crazed look upon his face. Held tightly in his hand was a freshly uprooted tree, as thick as my waist. In a fluid motion, the giant ran a hand down the trunk, tearing away twigs and leaves alike. With the strength the giant could bring to bear, the makeshift weapon looked like it could smash down a fortress wall.
That thought was driven home when the giant pulled up short, just behind the boulder, and, with a deafening shout, swung his weapon two-handed from left to right. The log cracked deafeningly into the side of the round slab of stone. Apparently, attempting to dislodge the buried obstacle made more sense to the giant than simply going around it. Still, the giant’s efforts were rewarded as the rough stone block was sent bouncing away. The blow absolutely destroyed the poor tree though as large splinters exploded away from the impact.
Without a second though, the elite mob dropped the split tree carelessly before returning his attention to us. Words of a spell entered my mind, but before I could act, Lowki leaped forward, his aim dead center at the giant’s chest. The lightning-fast attack surprised the giant, too, as it barely reacted before Lowki landed. Planting all four feet, Lowki used his momentum and pushed against the behemoth, spring-boarding away. Lowki’s claws had dug in deep causing chunks of flesh and the mossy material to be torn away. Dark blood quickly welled up from the wounds, and soaked down the monster’s torso. Not satisfied with only a simple attack, Lowki had used one of powerful abilities in the move.
Where each of Lowki’s paws had landed, a dark ripple of energy pulsed into the mob. In moments, the energy expanded outwards, turning the giant’s already dusky skin even darker. “That’s his solidifying strike,” Stella shouted out as Lowki’s power flooded into the giant’s major muscle groups.
The effects of the special attack quickly became evident as the giant’s movements noticeably slowed. I would find out later that the power of Lowki’s solidifying strike caused the target’s muscles to partially petrify as if tendons had temporarily been turned to stone. To the giant, it must have felt like his entire body slowly seized up.
Lowki’s quick thinking may have just saved the day as it allowed me ample time to dodge aside as the behemoth threw a downward punch my way. Instead of turning me into paste, dirt, and rubble shot up into the air where his attack landed. Even slowed, that blow would have pulverized me, full health or not. Rolling away, I quickly came back to my feet, the words of a spell tumbling from my lips. In seconds the giant had both my boil blood and acidic blood pumping through its veins. All the while, I backed away from the beast, trying to get as much distance from the deadly foe.
Ripley had approached from the giant’s flank, swinging her great sword again and again, its keen edge biting deeply. The giant’s natural defenses were not up to the task of weathering her blows. My minion did her job well, easily grabbing the attention of the giant away from me affording me the time to continue landing spell after spell. Sadly, even with the giant’s attack speed slowed, she wasn’t fast enough to dodge away from a particularly nasty swing. The giant’s fist connected, sending Ripley flying away, her great sword flying from her grasp.
Lowki made his presence known in the fight once more, landing heavily on the distracted goliath’s back. Clamping his powerful jaws on the giant’s neck, he began racking viciously with his back feet like only a cat can. Soon the monster’s lower back was a ruined mess, gallons of foul gore that reeked of sulfur and rotten eggs continued to run down freely. The lumbering giant turned back and forth, doing all that he could to dislodge my new pet. Lowki’s jaw proved stronger as he remained clamped down like a vice. How the giant roared in pain and frustration!
I took a precious moment to inspect the giant, hoping against hope that it wasn’t too strong for us to handle. Even with my spells wreaking havoc and Lowki’s escalating damage, the fearsome beast continued to thrash around wildly. As the System message appeared before me, Lowki’s luck finally ran out. The giant was finally able to reach over its back to grab hold of the evasive gray cat. Tossing him away vermin, Lowki was sent spinning away.
Khoores the Immense, Obelisk Giant (Level 17 Elite)
The distant cousin of rock giants, obelisk giants boast feats of strength that could rival that of a dragon. Having a natural immunity to lightning-based attacks, and a resistance to fire damage, this foe will not be easily conquered. The only saving grace for an adventuring Hunter would be the beast’s dim wit and even weaker hide. Still, this mob's staggering health pool allows it to keep on fighting through the most grievous of wounds. One rumored tale told of how, even missing the lower half of his body, one determined obelisk giant continued forward. Crawling with fierce determination, ever onwards to a chosen foe. Good luck, Hunter. You’re gonna need it!
Even given the considerable damage we had been able to do in such a short amount of time, with the System message confirming it, the mammoth monster had plenty left to spare. Fortunately for us though, the creature’s blank immunity to lightning, combined with a dash of fire resistance meant little to me. I wouldn’t be able to use my flamethrower spell to full effect, though my lesser boil blood was ticking away for full damage.
Ripley was finally getting back to her feet and was making her way towards the bloody monster, though she had to find her great sword to be at all effective. Lowki, even considering the impressive distance he had been thrown, had been able to land gracefully. Using some tall grass as cover, he was circling around for another attack. I needed to do more than allow my DOTs to scrape away at their health points.
While Khoores was resistant to fire magic, I had a spell to help combat that, though it had a longer cast time of three seconds.
[Minor Scent of Decay]. The scent of death and decay surrounded a target within 100 feet. The spell causes no damage but lowers the target’s resistance to fire, poison, and disease by 33% of the caster’s intelligence. Duration 5 minutes. Cost: 50 MP. Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 6 seconds. Plus 10 feet max range, plus 20 seconds duration per spell level.
Arcane syllables tumbled from my lips and my fingers made furious gestures as I worked to complete the spell. Whether it was the words of my spell or the sweeping motions of my arms, I once more caught the attention of the ogre. His massive head turned in my direction, a growl curling his lips. My spell completed, and I silently prayed it would land successfully. Magic arced through the air between us, impacting Khoores’ torso. Detonating like a swollen melon, dark energy leeched into his body. A notification popped up a moment later, informing me that the giant’s resistances had been lowered by twenty-one percent. A marked difference compared to when I used it last against Adom. That would help.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Coming up from a kneeling position, Khoores took a step in my direction. Summoning my trusty battle axe into my hand, in a quick motion it was sent tumbling end over end. Our foe attempted to raise a hand to intercept the weapon, but Lowki’s slowing effect from solidifying strike allowed the axe to land unblocked, burying deep in the left side of his chest.
My luck was holding steady as a sudden flare of azure magic lighted within the weapon’s manasteel, marking the special effect triggering. Frigid ice encrusted the wound and rushed outwards to flash-freeze most of the beast’s upper torso. Oh, how that got the giant’s attention! Flinching back in pain, he stumbled backward, feebly reaching with a massive hand towards the offending weapon.
“I don’t think so,” I said. With a thought, the axe returned to my hand courtesy of my new ring of return. The giant had closed his eyes against the pain, so when its hands found nothing but air, it continued to futilely search for the source of that agony. When my manasteel battle axe of freezing cracked home once more, the giant was caught completely unawares. For my second throw, I had altered my aim, looking for a specific vulnerable spot. My weapon struck the side of the giant’s head, momentarily knocking him senseless. Tilting off balance, the mob crashed heavily on his side.
The giant made a comical attempt to find the axe that was embedded in its skull, but the blow had left it weak and confused. Like a drunk man awkwardly looking for his beer, he couldn’t do more than momentarily brush it with his fingertips. I attempted to recall the weapon once more, but it failed having no effect.
“It has a one-minute cooldown,” Stella called out next to me.
Responding to her comment, I quickly intoned a regeneration onto Ripley, followed by a second as soon as I was able to target Lowki. Both hadn’t sustained too much damage, but with the momentary reprieve in the battle, it was a good idea to get the heals going.
Hoping my scent of decay spell had lowered its natural resistance enough to matter, I moved my hands to dual cast minor flamethrower. In an instant, I splayed my hands apart and a geyser of flame rushed out. Ripley rejoined the battle as my flames washed over the giant, her great sword hacking away at the monster’s remaining health pool, though I noticed her attacks were slower than usual. Lowki, who had stealthily approached from the rear, leaped once more to latch on the back of the giant’s neck.
Our combined assaults proved up to the task to continue to whittle away at what remained of the lifeforce the giant had coursing through his copious veins. My flamethrower continued to immolate the giant face. I couldn’t know if much of the damage was getting through as I had hidden my damage notifications, but my efforts were still effectively blinding the elite. Khoores’ movements turned more frantic in an attempt to escape the punishment he was enduring. Thankfully for Lowki, the giant’s head was big enough that my flames barely reached him, though some of my damage was biting away at his health, nevertheless. Though, I guessed Lowki would have been more than willing to withstand a fraction of my assault to ensure our victory.
The elite’s health plummeted; Stella had called out to the group. “Health at ten percent!”
At her words, Lowki decided the end the fight. With a violent jerk of his head, a resounding crack echoed out across the field. Like a puppet with its strings cut, the giant fell lifelessly to the ground.
“Stell, please,” I wheezed out, my hands falling to my sides. I was physically and mentally drained. “Tell me nothing else is coming.” With the terrible foe defeated, I allowed myself to collapse to the ground. Burned and crushed grass did little to soften my fall, though I cared little. Drawing in deep ragged breaths, I did all that I could to still the anxiety waring in my chest. That had been close, and what the hell was an elite mob anyway?
Our battle with the obelisk giant had come and gone as violently as it had begun. Looking around, Lowki was no worse for wear, my regenerative magic restoring him to full health. Still, odd tuffs of grass clung doggedly to his body. Eyeing up Ripley, I finally noticed that she was missing her left arm. At some point, the giant must have torn it off, or she had lost it when she was flung away. Either way, my regen spell would do little to restore the lost limb.
“Stella, can you help Ripley,” I asked as I propped myself up on my elbows. “Looks like she lost something.”
“Hey,” Stella curtly replied. “Be nice to her. She probably saved your life.”
My attempt a brevity having fallen short, I picked myself off the ground. Patting away dirt, I walked towards Ripley and gave it another go, “Here, Ripley, let me give you a hand.”
Stella’s raptor gaze snapped at me, an angry scowl plain across her features.
“Sorry, sorry,” I said as raised both hands defensively. “Just trying to lighten the mood. Say, uh, Stell? You never did say we were in the clear.”
Stella’s eyebrows narrowed dangerously, “Keep going, see where it leads you.”
Chuckling slightly to myself, I let it be. Ripley was wandering in escalating spirals looking for her lost limb. I spotted it shortly thereafter. Ripley’s transformation along with me when I gained my tier two class had turned her previously dusky gray bones to a midnight black had made it difficult to see. Ripley moved hurriedly towards me, eager to get back to full fighting strength.
“Ok,” I said as I moved the limb to her open shoulder socket. “Don’t move.” With one free hand, I cast minor regeneration directly on the connecting joint. Power flowed out of my hands to encapsulate the area. After a few moments, Ripley was testing the arm ensuring everything worked properly. She nodded at me in thanks, a move that showed her growing intelligence. “You’re very welcome.”
Feeling Stella’s gaze on the back of my neck, I added, “Thanks for saving my life.”
My back still turned to her; I could still clearly hear a canine grunt come from her direction. Hiding the smile that had been there a second earlier, I turned to Stella with a blank expression. Hoping to smooth over the situation I put myself in, I cleared my throat. “Well, we’re no worse for wear. That could have easily gone differently.”
Taking a deep breath, I could still feel my heart pounding in my chest. “Feels like I just ran a marathon.”
“That’s the adrenaline,” Stella said as we approached the downed monster. “Just give it a moment, then you’ll really feel the weight of what just happened. Without Lowki, and his amazing ability to slow down the giant, we might just be the ones taking a dirt nap.”
Stella’s voice was matter-of-fact but contained just a hint of humor in it. She was trying to make light of the seriously bad position we had found ourselves in. I didn’t know what a ‘wandering elite’ was, but I was sure we were lucky to come out as well as we did.
Lowki walked over to me, rubbing his head against my legs before sitting down next to me. His stoney head came up to my rib cage. Patting his head, the thought that only minutes ago he had been an imp about to burn me to death caused an uncomfortable feeling to flutter through me. Lowki, the fire imp, had tried to turn me into a human shish kabob. Now though, he leaned into the caress like any affectionate cat would. “You really have changed, haven’t you, Lowki?”
A small roar escaped the cat’s maw before he twisted his neck in an attempt to get me to scratch a particularly sensitive spot. Obliging the request, I could only smile and shake my head at how quickly this whole situation had shifted. If Lowki the Imp hadn’t attacked after we answered his riddles, he would only have given us a single favor as a reward for completing the quest. Immediately after, Khoores had come trampling in, and who could know if we would have been able to defeat him, even with that favor being called in immediately. A thought echoed in my mind before the words were spoken aloud, “That elite was fire-resistant.” Without Lowki’s transformation, we would be lying in the beast’s place.
Stella, not aware of my inner thoughts, tilted a head in my direction, “Yeah, we know that. It didn’t really do him any good.” Stella flew down to Lowki’s position, nuzzling her face into the cat’s face before she started talking in a baby voice. “Yup, Xaz should just consider himself lucky we were here to save the day. You’re a good boy, aren’t you?”
“Definitely,” I said as a wide grin crossed my face.
Stella glided up to land atop Lowki’s head once more, before turning her face up to me. “Let’s try to avoid bringing death down upon us, at least for the next few hours, yeah?”
In response, my fingers articulated through the movement of a spell. In short order, my movement song had buffed the group, including the new addition, Lowki. “Of course… of course,” I said as I stared a tilted gaze down towards Stella. Her eyes narrowed once more, unsure of my meaning.
Her head lowered as if about to pounce, so my words came sputtering out, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!”
Weariness overtook me, and with the group’s consent, we decided a quick five-minute power nap would do us good. “So,” I asked as I stared up into the rolling clouds above, my hands folded behind my head. “What’s next?”