The tunnel leading out of the Hivemother's Cavern was longer than the first. We walked cautiously, staying in formation. Along our path to the second boss, we encountered a few more basic Bloodfall Leech Drones, but nothing that genuinely tested us. I could see a faint light off in the distance. We continued down the tunnel, and I was stunned to see a well-lit chamber ahead.
I entered the chamber first, noting the enormous torches around the perimeter. It was bright enough to be daylight. In the center of the large rock chamber was a single large humanoid facing away from us. He wore deep red metal armor decorated with various bones and wielded a savage spear that immediately caught my eye. The weapon was on the shorter side, which I preferred, and had a tip more like a long double-edged dagger. The haft appeared to be made of simple bone and was adorned with hanging feathers. He held a small metal buckler with a point in the center in his off-hand. His name appeared over him as we inched closer.
[Blood Guard Yurellix - Level 12 Boss]
He turned to face us and greeted us with a wicked smile.
"More offerings for the Queen." he declared in a rumbly voice as he leveled his spear at us. I could finally see that he was an orc with large tusks jutting out from his lower mouth. His skin was a dark green, and he stood at least a foot taller than me. His large frame indicated he was muscular under his heavy armor. Leo once again cast Stoneskin on each of us, and I let out another War Cry.
I had Teos circle around to his flank as I used Shield Charge. He raised his own shield to stop my advance, but the force of my attack pushed him backward. Yurellix immediately answered with his spear, but it glanced off my chest plate, and I retaliated with my own spear, aiming for the gap in his armor underneath his armpit. The orc dodged my attack and hopped backward. He was extremely fast for his size and, unfortunately, also immune to slows and stuns. Cass and Teos had already closed the distance, and I resumed my assault. I activated Frenzied Strikes and stabbed at his left thigh, hoping a wound that would slow him down might give us the advantage. My blade struck his armor and glanced off, but I rushed forward as he turned to face Cass and jammed it into the gap behind his knee. The orc roared in pain and turned back toward me.
"I'm taking that spear," I stated with a smirk as he roared at me. I had to keep him focused on me and not the others.
After his roar, the boss stabbed at me in a flurry of powerful strikes. I blocked two with my shield and parried the third, but the boss's follow-up left a nasty gash in my left forearm. It throbbed as blood poured out of my wound. Yurellix finished his attack with a savage kick that sent me sprawling backward. He then turned toward Leo and raised his spear to throw it.
"Leo! Incoming!" I yelled as I stood and ran back toward the boss. Leo activated his magic barrier, slowing the projectile long enough for him to dodge. I intended to take advantage of the boss not having a weapon when he opened his fist, and the spear returned to his hand. Leo healed me as I regained the boss's attention.
"Oh, I am definitely taking that spear," I said as I entered melee range.
I watched as Teos opened his jaw, and a massive fireball formed just outside it. It launched at the orc with surprising speed and exploded once it reached his chest. Yurellix stumbled, and I threw myself forward at the opportunity, lashing out again at the same knee I had wounded earlier. Black blood now trickled down his calf and onto his greaves. I certainly underutilized my familiar in the last fight, a mistake I would remedy here and now.
Frenzied Strikes was maxed out, and I unleashed attack after attack, leaving deep scratches and dents in the orc's armor. He occasionally used his buckler to block but often trusted his armor to weather the storm. Cass jammed her sword into the gap underneath his left pauldron, spilling more black blood all over the ground. She followed up with her ability that launched three attacks, each hitting a weak point.
The boss was limping, and his shield arm hung loosely at his side. Leo and Teos launched a barrage of lightning, wind, earth, and fire attacks at the Blood Guard, and soon my Execution ability was available. I charged in to use it, but the orc stomped the ground and sent us all clamoring backward. A notification appeared.
[You have been stunned for 3 seconds.]
Damn it! We had been so close. I watched helplessly as the boss pulled out a small vial of blood and drank it. He roared as his wounds closed, and he grew even larger, tearing off armor pieces that no longer fit his growing muscles as he did. I examined his health, and it had gone from 29% up to 60%. The orc now only had his chest armor, gloves, and waist armor equipped, which left his head, calves, and arms exposed. He turned to face me as the stun ended, his eyes bloodshot and much more feral than before. As I inspected the boss's health, I noticed a new status icon.
[Blood Frenzy 1 - Damage dealt increased by 15%. Attack speed increased by 15%.]
I relayed the information to my team and mentally ordered Teos to use caution. I approached the larger orc, and he snarled at me. His skin began to take on a red hue, probably a side effect of the Blood Frenzy. The boss was stronger and slightly quicker than me before this change, so I intended to fight more defensively than before.
I used Shield Charge, crashing into the boss and staggering him, then raised my shield for the counterattack I knew would come. His spear crashed into my shield, sending reverberations through it and into my arm. I felt the pain of the blow even through the shield and knew my armor might not stand up to his new strength. The boss followed up with a sweeping slash aimed at my head, and I ducked under it. I retaliated immediately, thrusting upward into his exposed bicep. My weapon ripped through his arm, and the boss grabbed my spear blade with his left hand. He pulled it out of his arm, blood pouring from the wound. Yurellix didn't seem to notice as he twisted the spear, forced it downward, and thrust his spear right at my chest. My breastplate stopped the attack, but the tip penetrated the armor slightly. This was the first time any weapon had managed to overcome my new armor. The orc's grip still held my weapon tightly, so I delivered an uppercut with the serrated portion of my shield. It crashed into his stomach, going straight through his armor. Blood seeped from the wound, and I ripped my spear from his hand, slicing it deeply.
The boss roared and launched another flurry of savage strikes at me. I again managed to block the first two, but the third was too quick for me to respond. His spear cut through my chainmail leggings as if they were cloth and lacerated my thigh. The fourth was aimed directly at my face. I managed to deflect it into my left pauldron, but it pushed through my armor and stabbed into my shoulder. I felt my arm go limp, and Yurellix kicked me again, this time much more forcefully. I flew backward through the air and landed with a crash. The orc raised his spear to throw it, and I shouted a warning to the group. He aimed at Cass and let his weapon fly.
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Cass used her blur ability to move behind the boss, avoiding the thrown spear. She delivered a vicious upward swing and cut the boss's left arm off. He roared in a fury. I used Intercede right as he wheeled on Cass and delivered a savage punch, knocking her away but dealing no damage. He quickly raised his hand, and the spear returned to it. Leo had healed me as I rushed toward Cass, and my wounds had already closed. Lightning and fire spells tormented the boss between vicious strikes from Cass's sword. I focused on blocking and dodging, only letting the boss land minor cuts on me as my team dealt damage to him.
Execution was available again, but as I activated it, the boss let out another stomp that stunned all four of us.
[You have been stunned for 3 seconds.]
Not again! Yurellix pulled another vial of blood from his belt and drank it in one gulp. He grew even larger, the leather straps holding his breastplate on snapping in the process. A furious roar shook the chamber, and I watched as the orc's skin went from reddish-green to a deep crimson color. His eyes were now completely red, and he was frothing at the mouth. His health only rose to 45% this time, but the second stack of blood frenzy was deeply concerning.
[Blood Frenzy 2 - Damage dealt increased by 30%. Attack speed increased by 30%.]
The boss now only wore his waist armor, becoming a hulking behemoth, his muscles bulging unnaturally. His damn arm even regrew during the process, and he now gripped his spear in both hands. I used Shield Charge again, but the massive orc raised his weapon and blocked me with the haft. He didn't even take a step backward from the blow and threw me to the ground, knocking the wind out of me in the process. I rolled quickly away, dodging the downward thrust that surely would have killed me.
[Prime Rune: Ironwall has progressed to Level 6 - Expert Rank - A new ability is available.]
Teos was savagely clawing the boss's upper leg, tearing into the hamstring and ripping chunks of flesh away. The lion's mane was engulfed in flames, as well as the ridge along his back. I could smell the burning flesh from a few feet away, but Yurellix didn't even flinch. Cass attempted to sever another arm, but the boss's speed let him deftly avoid the attack. He turned to face Cass and Teos now. I roared as I used Provoke, hoping the boss no longer counted as an intelligent being.
Yurellix spun to face me and offered his own roar in response. I took on my defensive stance, placing my spear into the notch of my shield and widening my stance to absorb blows. I planned to let the team whittle the boss's health down into execute range while I soaked up his attacks. The Blood Guard thrust at me, but my shield now covered my chin to my thighs, and my stance allowed me to absorb the impact much better. I countered with my own thrust, managing to slice his forearm, but the shortcomings of this stance included low mobility and weak attacks.
The boss continued his onslaught. Most of the attacks met my shield or deflected off it into my heavy armor. A few managed to land minor cuts on me, but I avoided any significant wounds. The strength of the orc was mind-blowing. Each attack left my shield arm numb, and it took all my power, even with Titan's Favor, to stay on my feet. Leo peppered the boss with lightning and rocks, leaving charred skin and massive bruises behind. Cass danced around, lashing out at any opportunity to deal deep cuts in his weak areas. Teos did an excellent job of ripping into the boss whenever there was a lull in our attacks. Our constant assault slowly brought Yurellix down to 30% health, and Cass and I could now use our executes.
The boss bombarded me with his savage four-hit combo, which meant the kick and spear toss would follow soon. I shouted for the team to be ready and hoped he would target me with it this time. This kick was so powerful it sent me flying through the air as if I had been launched from a cannon. I scrambled to my feet just in time to see him hurl his spear at my familiar. I watched in horror as Teos pounced away, but the spear still impaled him through his midsection. I felt the waves of pain and fear as the lion lay on the ground. Something else hit me, too. It was outrage. The outrage that millions of years of evolution to become an apex predator was bested by a pointy stick. Underneath all that, though, was the worst feeling of all. The lion felt as if he had failed me somehow. Then, our mental link ceased to exist.
Unthinking, I used Shield Charge. The rage from Teos clouded my reason, and my only thought was revenge. I crashed into the orc's back, my shield smashing him into the ground. Cass had already used her execute ability, and the boss was near death. The boss went to stand and throw me off him, but I raised my shield and slammed the sharpened edge into the back of his neck, over and over. I felt his vertebrae crack as my shield cut deeper and deeper with each blow. He was already limp, most likely dead, but I kept going. I did not stop until his head separated from his shoulders.
[You have reached Level 13.]
I was panting when I finally snapped out of the rage. Cass and Leo were looking at me with worried expressions. I sprinted to my familiar, the spear and wound were gone, and I felt his connection to me, although it was weak. I turned to my teammates.
"What happened? I thought... I felt..." I couldn't say it out loud.
"He was nearly dead. Leo managed a quick heal that saved his life," Cass informed me.
"Thank you, Leo. Thank you," I said as tears streamed down my face. I hugged the unconscious lion. I remember Telovir explaining that if you went under 5% health, you'd go to sleep for a short while. I sobbed into the lion's fur until I felt him lick my face. I looked up and smiled as we exchanged waves of relief with each other. Our bond was so powerful that it felt like a part of me had died when our connection ceased. I wanted to tell him that he could never fail me, but I knew he understood just from my thoughts. I was proud of him, and more than anything, I was just happy he was still here.
Cass and Leo let us have our moment before scolding me for my poor decision. I apologized, offering no excuse. It worked out in the end, but blindly charging at an enemy is never a good idea. Telovir had drilled into us from the start, never to let emotions dictate our actions. All four of us had gained a level from that battle, and I also had an ability upgrade waiting. I pulled up the interface to see which skill had changed.
Prime Rune: Ironwall (Expert Level 6 - 11%):
* Shield Charge - Rush at your target with blinding speed, blocking all attacks and finishing with an attack from your shield. Cooldown: 30 Seconds. Cost: 5 Mana.
* Shield Slam - Smash your shield into your target with tremendous force. This ability deals 200% extra damage. This ability shares a cooldown with Shield Charge. Cost: 10 Mana.
* Reflection - Send projectiles and magic attacks back at enemies for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds. Cost: 15 Mana.
* The Immovable Object - Raise your shield and block all attacks regardless of direction or position for 6 seconds. You take considerably less damage for the duration. You cannot move for the duration. You are immune to knockbacks and control effects for the duration. Cooldown - 24 Hours. Cost: 10 Mana.
* Shield Mastery - (Passive) Shield attacks deal three times as much damage. (Upgrades: 1)
I told my team about the new ability, and Leo seemed fascinated. He explained that new abilities before Master rank or higher were uncommon. I was ecstatic. The double damage of the attack combined with the bonus from Shield Mastery should deal insane amounts of damage. We all decided to take an hour or so of rest to let our stamina, health, and mana recover. I also needed time to decompress from the emotional rollercoaster I had just ridden. I walked over to the dead boss and looted him, receiving another three items.
[Blood Guard's Scale Leggings]
Rare Extra Heavy Armor - Legs
200 Armor
+20 Strength
+20 Vigor
+20 Endurance
-30 Dexterity (Negated)
[The Queen's Gift]
Rare Necklace
+15 Strength
+15 Dexterity
+10 Endurance
Use: Restores 30% of maximum health. Cooldown: 2 Hours.
[Yurellix's Buckler]
Rare Shield
150 Armor
+20 Intelligence
+20 Regeneration
+15% Spell Damage and Healing
I was devastated that I hadn't received the spear, but the leg armor was much needed. I went to pick up the spear from its location where Teos had been, but it was already gone. I had seen this before, enchanted weapons and armor would vanish once their owner died. I noticed that these three items seemed tailored to our group once again. Cass took the necklace and Leo took the buckler. I took Magefang off my belt and handed it to him, figuring he'd get more use out of it than me. I imagined wielding a staff and a shield would be cumbersome, to say the least.
After our rest, we exited the chamber and proceeded onward to the third and final boss.