I stood wide-eyed, at who was undoubtedly the boss, as the enormous Minotaur charged towards Lowki’s position. I was positioned about one hundred feet off to the side of the palisade wall. So, while I could see most of the inner fort, anything inside would have difficulty spotting me in return. As a result, the boss took no notice of me as he ran, his attention fixed squarely on Lowki’s black body. From what I could see, this was the final remaining foe we would need to deal with. Though, the realization was rather moot considering the horror bearing down on us.
The Minotaur’s tanned skin started glowing a vibrant red as waves of heat radiated off his gigantic body. Like the regular Minotaur's we had been fighting, the chieftain had quickly responded to our threat by triggering his rage ability. Unfortunately for us, it looked to be far more powerful. Not only were vast steams of water vapor cascading off his body, but the enemy commander’s body was growing in such a way it reminded me of the Hulk.
Even at this distance, the Minotaur boss, who was already one and a half times the size of an average warrior, was growing larger with each long stride. About a dozen yards into his charge, a normal Minotaur would look like a dwarf if they stood side by side. When the monstrous beast’s war bellow crashed over me, it was like a snap of a whip slamming against my psyche. An animalistic apprehension hammered in my chest, and I was momentarily frozen. It wasn’t a stun per se, as I was immune to such effects. Instead, this was almost like a primal fear. I was a field mouse who had just spotted a diving hawk inches from my tender face.
As I stared at the horrendous beast, unable to move past the panicked feeling for several key moments as my eyes roved over the boss’s ponderous body. He was wearing what appeared to be a swath of dyed leather. Hundreds of strips covered almost every inch of his body, along with several gun-metal gray pieces of plate armor that covered his chest, abdomen, and groin. As the massive creature grew in size, I expected to see slivers of his skin become visible. The hope of a possible vulnerability was short-lived, however, as the leather bindings appeared to widen and grow as much as he did.
Finally snapping out of my hesitation, I inspected the likely incredibly problematic enemy commander.
Narek the Indominable, Gestalt Legionnaire Minotaur (Level 20 – Elite Boss). Most civilized races are unfamiliar with the four-tier caste system that has been rigidly ingrained into the heart of Minotaur society for centuries untold. More still would not care to ponder how a bottom-ranked stalwart could rise to be crowned as a terrifying war leader known as a Gestalt Legionnaire Minotaur.
Years of blood, sweat, and endless combat; that’s how.
For those few stalwarts who survive long enough, as well as develop a level of intellect that would rival most humanoid races, these titans of brute force should never be underestimated. Capable of astonishing levels of brawn, these mighty foes are matched with a keen mind capable of impressive reasoning and tactical prowess. Being only a single step shy of the caste’s pinnacle Minotaur, many a Hunter’s final moments in this world have come to a swift and brutal end courtesy of these aberrant foes.
Our party knew well in advance a boss would most certainly be located somewhere within the fort. Whatever type of monster we had been expecting though was absolutely blown away like a candle facing down a tornado upon seeing the real thing. The sheer size and ferocity of the elite boss, at first, looked to be far too much for us to handle even considering the ample time we had spent formulating a plan of action.
Though, seeing Ripley standing at the ready, barely out of sight beside the gate with her great sword in hand, provided me some small comfort. Her role was to strike out as the boss as he ran past, doing all she could to hamper his movements while Tallos and I rained down destruction. Lowki had lowered himself to the ground, ready to spring away the second the war leader reached him. Lowki’s role was to be elusive and do all he could to keep the boss’s attention firmly fixed upon him or Ripley. I wished I still had my undead Minotaur which I had raised shortly before the battle began via one of my newest spells. Sadly though, it had been destroyed moments earlier, and the spell’s cool down had many minutes to go before I could use it again. Given our dramatic foe, however, I doubted I would be allowed to cast it anyway.
[Lesser Undeath]. If cast within 5 minutes upon a recently deceased, unholy power revives the target to serve you for a short period of time. The undeath minion will follow all verbal commands, regardless of previously known languages, or will take actions to protect the caster if no command is issued. The target retains 80% of its former health, stamina, and mana. Only a random set of the target’s abilities, skills, and spells that it had in life will be available. The raised minion will last until destroyed, or when the spell duration ends. Cost: 400 mana. Cast Time: 10 seconds. Duration: 5 minutes. Cool down: 10 minutes. Plus 30 second duration and plus 1% retention per spell level.
My eyes caught Tallos’ movement as he readied another arrow to let loose as soon as the boss emerged. He set himself up around fifty yards on the opposite side of the gate. We felt it was a good plan because whatever appeared would be attacked on essentially all sides once it left the safety of the fortification. We were as ready as we would ever be. As soon as the boss was in range, I would apply every single damage over time spell I could. Tallos would fire every arrow until he ran out. I had given him all my stored arrows, learning over the course of several battles that the more he had, the better.
The words of my most potent spell ready upon my tongue, I began casting as soon as the charging bull crossed into my maximum range. I kept my voice low and knelt low, hoping to remain hidden for as long as possible. Seeing the towering brute, the thought of getting into melee range with the boss seemed a lethal move. I could only hope Ripley and Lowki would keep him pinned down. Fear of one or both dying in this fight shot a lick of worry into my subconscious but there was nothing more I could do now.
Thundering footfalls of titanic feet shook the ground and, even at this distance, I could feel the vibrations running up my feet. The size of the boss was astonishing. His strength attribute had to be in the many hundreds range. As the words of my spell were completing, Stella’s words mirrored my thoughts. “We need to break that rage ability,” she called out beside me. Only the smallest part of her head was poking above the tall grass as it waved in the wind.
The huge creature cleared the gates, barreling down at the waiting Lowki. Ripley bolted out behind him, her great sword’s tip whistling in the air. Her aim was lower than I had expected. It was aimed for the sweet spot, right above the ankle. The Achilles tendon, I realized in an instant. Ripley had only seen the boss for a moment before engaging and quickly deduced the importance of slowing the massive creature down. Her increased intelligence and self-awareness had once again astounded me, making me even more thankful I had specialized in her for tier two class. It had given her greater capabilities which were on display. We would need every weapon at our disposal to take down this foe.
Ripley’s expertly aimed attack connected against the boss’s trailing foot, severing his tendon like a snapping rubber band. Immediately, the boss faltered in his charge to crush Lowki. It wouldn’t be until later that I would learn how exceedingly lucky we had been with Ripley’s initial swing. The fine edge of her magical great sword only barely managed to slide in between two folds of Narek’s leather armor. Had it bit a quarter inch above or below her mark, the attack likely would have failed to penetrate. Thus were the defenses of our incredible foe.
As it were, our luck manifested, and we had stolen the initiative away from the Minotaur chief. As he fell to a knee, both of his enormous hands went wide in an attempt to stop himself from face-planting. Then I noticed the arrows bouncing and ricocheting off the staggered mob. A sense of dread passed at a realization. While Tallos had chosen wisely to not target the boss’s most protected parts, namely those covered in armored plate, his angle afforded him an unobstructed view of the Minotaur’s exposed side. Trying to leverage the momentarily stunned boss, he was aiming to pierce a lung. Unfortunately for us, barely a single arrow penetrated what looked like simple leather. Worse yet, the arrow that successfully pierced the impressive armor had only done so by perhaps a scant inch or two at most.
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The power of my spell lanced across the distance between us, looking like a distortion of air as it passed to connect with the chieftain’s bulky arm. Surprise struck me a new when a System message appeared in my vision, bypassing the normal blocks Stella and I had in place to avoid undue distractions while in combat.
Notice! Your spell, Lesser Boil Blood, has been partially resisted.
“Shit,” I exclaimed. I had forgotten to start the battle with my scent of darkness. If there was ever a time to lower a monster’s resistances, it was now and I had fumbled it. Determined the mistake would not linger, I started the long cast time for my scent of darkness. Three seconds was still a long time in battle, but there was little I could do for it.
As the boss turned from his kneeling position toward Ripley, who had taken the opportunity to slash out with her weapon once more, this time targeting the boss’s back, the Minotaur extended a hand before making a clenching motion. Out of nowhere, an enormous war hammer appeared in his hand. The sudden appearance reminded me of summoning Frostrend directly from my inventory, though I had no idea how the boss had accomplished such a thing. As if in slow motion, and for what must have felt like a casual backswing for the boss but like an avalanche to poor Ripley, the weapon’s dark metal head crashed against her side. Bone crunched as she was sent flying away to land heavily against the wooden palisade wall a dozen feet behind her.
I could do nothing but watch as my spell neared completion. I stole a glance at my party interface to see Ripley’s health go from a vibrant emerald to flashing red in a single blow. Stella’s voice blared out a warning as I finished my casting, “That’s a summoned weapon, it won’t remain forever!”
Stella didn’t pause in providing helpful information even as my spell exploded against the Minotaur’s back like a swollen grapefruit, the spell's magic leeching into his armored body, lowering his resistances by a significant amount. “The boss’s rage ability likely allowed him to resist a significant portion of your boil blood. There! Scent of darkness landed fully. It should help bridge the divide.”
Notice! Narek the Indominable has been afflicted with the Scent of Decay! All resistances to fire, poison, acid, and disease are lowered by 25% (MAX).
“That’s new,” I said as the notification was instantly absorbed by my subconscious. I hadn’t known this specific spell could max out. Still, a quarter reduction in those resistances was nothing to sneeze at, all the same.
“Sorry,” Stella said to my side as I began another spell, this time my new ignite bones. I knew I needed to get all of my DOTs on the boss as quickly as possible. “I had meant to bring it up, but never found the opportunity,” Stella finished as arcane words rushed past my lips.
The chief moved as if to finish off the struggling Ripley when Lowki entered the battle. His aim was spot on and he landed with all three pairs of legs slamming into the impressively wide upper body of the Minotaur before springing away. As her claws dove into his leather armor, her twin barbed tentacles slammed simultaneously into the hulk’s covered neck though I couldn’t tell if anything had been able to pierce the leather strips.
The tactical importance of Lowki’s decision to attack and immediately disengage was made clear as the boss made another swinging backhand with his impressive weapon. For how easily he moved it, the massive hammer looked to weigh no more than a feather in his meaty hand. Lowki was quicker than her skeletal friend, thankfully, and the counterattack missed by a safe margin.
Lowki’s keen mind showed further when the ripples of energy reached across the boss’s body as her solidifying strike worked to turn muscle into stone. “The slow only partially took hold,” Stella cried dejectedly, before cursing loudly. I had no way of knowing how well Lowki’s special ability landed but, thankfully, owing to her special System access, Stella had been able to see it.
“It’s still going to help,” I said between spell castings. The boss now had lesser arrested affliction attempting to seize the war lord’s heart. “He’s already hobbled, so anything to slow him down further is a really, really good thing for us.”
I had been hoping Lowki’s flanking attack would distract the chief from the vulnerable Ripley, but the boss was single-minded in his pursuit. Even as Ripley worked to regain her feet, switching over to her curved sword and heater shield, I had an increasing sense of dread with what was about to happen. My fear was realized as the boss slammed his gigantic hammer atop her. Ripley rose her heavily enchanted shield to block but, even with the impressive additional defense it afforded, it was no match for the titanic strength the boss had coursing through immense body.
Sadly, for Ripley, she splattered much like the grapefruit from my scent of darkness had seconds before. Cracked, splintered, and broken bones flew out in all directions. Her shield, which had done its best to weather the blow, was slammed at least a foot into the compacted earth under where she had been kneeling. Ripley’s flashing health bar in the party interface grayed out as she was pulverized into dust. She was out of this fight and would be for some time until she was resummoned. If I lived to do it, that is.
“We have to break his rage,” I said through gritted teeth. “None of us can survive an attack from him.” My mind scoured my options, first landing on my Roaring Strike. It could stun an enemy but, then again, a boss might be able to resist it. My thoughts settled onto my specialized boil blood and my arrested affliction. Both had a small chance to effectively stun the target. Boil blood, from my understanding, due to the intense pain it caused, and arrested affliction from its chance to seize the enemy’s heart. I would need to hope one of them worked as it was like fighting an immovable and unstoppable force.
Arrows continued to rain in, though to little effect. I heard a muffled shout, owing to the distance between us, come from Tallos. There was little I could offer him in the way of support. If we made it out of this, I would need to see about upgrading his bow. For now, whatever small amount of damage he could inflict was the best he could do.
Lowki continued his pattern of springing in with taloned claws and barbed quills, slowly chunking away at the Minotaur's likely substantial health pool. Unfortunately for me, my spells caught the raging Minotaur's attention and he attempted to run me down but could only manage an odd shuffle courtesy of his destroyed ankle. At this point, every single one of my DOTs was eating away at the boss’s health; lesser boil blood, minor acidic bolt, lesser soul leech, lesser arrested affliction, and lesser ignite bones. Every six seconds a substantial amount of life was being boiled away by intense heat, scorching acid, spasming muscles, ignited bone marrow, and soul-crushing force.
I would need to inquire with Stella later how much damage my combined spells were doing, though it mattered little against this goliath. After each of my spells was running its course, I turned to my fireball spell to supplement my spell casting. I could let the boss get close enough for my chained lightning and my poisoned breath, though I feared allowing him to do so. Who knew what special ability the mighty warrior could muster?
The towering Minotaur began slamming his war hammer against my incoming fireballs, causing the spell to detonate with marginal effect away from his body. It burned him, a little, but for only a fraction of what the spell was capable of. Lowki took one too many chances and, whether bad luck or a brilliant ruse from Narek, his war hammer skidded off the great cat's hip as he was springing away.
Lowki let out a howl of pain and a debuff appeared next to his name in the party interface. He had a broken hip and was trying to create as much distance between himself and the boss. Lowki was outside of my regeneration spell's maximum range, so I would have to risk getting closer to try to help him.
The war leader winked at me, which surprised me to no end. Here was a raging hulk monster who could take punishment like a steel door, and was now brazen enough to wink at me? The bastard had the full faculty of his mind, even while roided-out to the moon. “Oh, to the abyss with that,” I muttered angrily even as the boss turned away from me, eyeing my injured pet. I would have to risk it.
Lowki was wailing pitifully as he clawed his way through the dirt, trying to get as much separation between himself and the massive boss loaming towards him like an inescapable meteor. I wasn’t going to make it. Given the spell’s one-second cast time, along with the fact it may take more than six to twelve seconds to mend the damage if it even could, Lowki would be long dead by then. Even with the mammoth’s irregular steps, foot by foot, he was inching closer to the gravely injured feline.
Finally, in range, a paltry thirty feet that I hoped I wouldn’t soon regret, I chanted the words to lesser chained lightening with as much alacrity as I could. Narek’s war hammer was lifted high, poised to end Lowki’s life. In my panicked mind, I couldn’t recall at the crucial moment if Lowki would revive or not.
No! My inner mind screamed out at the universe. I no longer cared what I had initially felt about Lowki when the System first transformed him into my pet companion. He was no longer simply a criminal who had escaped justice in my mind. He was a friend and damned if I allowed anything to harm him, if I had anything to say about it.
As the hammer began its downward swing, to potentially snuff out the cat’s life permanently, my spell casting completed. Lightning as bright as the sun and thick as my arm fired out, exactly where I had aimed the spell. The back of Narek’s head.