Elias had seen this monster before, but never up close. Just screenshots from players who fought it on their raids. The beast was more intimidating in person. With the giant tornado, thunder claps, and lion head, Elias was sure this was the Ugallu. Then the prompt confirmed.
Ugal - The Thunder Beast
Level: 132 Health: 50625
Description: Formerly the protective weather beast day-demon, Ugallu. Ugal has been corrupted by forces of the underworld and now preys on the followers of Adad who come to worship him in his temple.
All the gameplays Elias watched usually ended in the beast’s victory. Elias would change that; he would be the first solo player to defeat such a high-level boss. The Mythos Vine said that whoever dealt the last blow against this beast could win the thunder blade item drop. Two powerful items in one dungeon, that was reason enough for Elias to keep going. But it would prove difficult since he was flying into the beast's chest.
The wind around Ugal did not cease when he had transformed. Instead, it turned into a hurricane that took 100 points off Elias’s HP per second. He’s been caught in the turbulence for at least fifteen. But Elias didn’t complain. When you have limited resources it tends to make you more creative. Playing solo for so long forced Elias to find crafty ways to win. He activated his Blade Dance skill to compliment the thrashing wind and then used Light Shot to propel him where he wanted, using the momentum of his swings. His target was the beast's neck.
A few creatures formed from the wind. They had bat-like wings with long skinny tails but no discernible head or neck. He recognized them to be Terro bats. They flew at Elias with amazing speed, effortlessly sailing through the turbulent storm winds. It was hard to aim but with the help of his Keen skill, he was able to cut through them no matter which angle they came from. However, the skill was fading, and the moment it went into cooldown one of the Terro Bats nipped his side. It would be another minute before he can activate it again. He slapped the Terro Bat away but another latched onto his foot. Elias managed to slice its wing and it fell away into the churning wind.
More were coming, but before he could even defend himself, something closed around his body. Through the turbulent grey mist, Elias saw that a giant hand had caught him and it held him tight. As Terro Bats bit and gnawed at his shoulders, the hand brought him up to the monster’s fierce face. Its jaw opened wide and as Elias neared the beast's fangs he knew it was over. If he got stuck in the beast's maw, it would chew on him until his health hit zero
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
When Elias did not feel the pain of the beast’s teeth he believed the reason to be that the bite would’ve breached the pain threshold and thus put him in a coma. Instead, when he opened his eyes he saw no huge teeth. He saw no claws, no fur. In fact, there was no beast, and he was falling.
He had never heard of this kind of monster using cloak magic before. He didn’t rule it out though, and so decided it must be hiding somewhere. Possibly preparing a final attack. But why would it do that when it already had him? Instinctively, he activated his Keen skill once more. At first, there was nothing. Nothing stirred, nothing breathed and nothing was there but him. Then, after a sort of mental strain — for he was not convinced — a presence popped up behind him. He spun around and saw nothing but deep darkness. Shortly after, another presence came from the opposite side. The two then became four. Then six and finally seven when Keen had reached its limit and disappeared to cool down.
Seven things were with him but they felt as if they weren’t there. Even his Keen seemed to have pulled them from another reality to make them clear to him. And now with it gone, he had no way to track or measure them. While Keen was activated, he couldn’t gauge their level or their strength as it typically would. The beast must have split itself into seven parts which awakened a latent ability that enabled it to mask its presence and power level. This wasn’t normal.
Elias checked his health to be 2565 of his total. His stamina was quite low and he debated whether or not he would be able to fight seven different monsters at once. He was not the fastest player and definitely not the lightest but he resisted the urge to give up. Ashur’s Claw was worth the fight. He’s come too far to turn back now. So, with earnest resolve, he stood his ground and prepared for the onslaught.
A glowing light caught his attention and cautiously he turned to see what it was. It was much like a spotlight beaming down from above and beneath its rays was a rising treasure chest. But this didn’t make sense. The monster wasn’t slain. The treasure, even though he wanted it badly, shouldn’t have come out yet.
He eyed the darkness, searching simultaneously for the monsters and the cause of this. He couldn’t tell if they were still there. He heard nothing and saw no movement. Yet, something felt wrong.
The chest opened up and out floated Ashur’s Claw smelted in gold with ivory tips and a jeweled band. Elias reached for it but his hand hit an invisible barrier. He tried again but the same thing happened. He eyed the darkness, then the claw, and finally started to circle it as he searched for an opening.
It was when he heard the light thud of feet that he stopped, drew his axes, and declared, “Come out!”
Whatever it was that was first hiding now boldly revealed itself. It left the shadows and stood at the edge of where the light would reach it, but only barely. The first thing Elias saw emerge from the darkness was a long beak. A similar shape to a toucan’s but much longer. Above the beak were two large black eyes. The figure was robed in a leather material that covered its entire body. Elias saw no weapons of any kind. At this point, he wasn’t sure if this thing was a player, an NPC, or a monster. Elias couldn’t see any identifiers or guild markings.
“This is my treasure, my item. Don’t try to take it from me! I won't let you.” Elias fixed the figure's large eyes with his visor-covered ones.
“We aren’t after the item. It turns out to be a bonus. We’ve been tracking you for a long time and it makes sense that you would be the one to find something as valuable as this.” Its voice was low, sickly, and distinctly masculine.
There was a slight chill against Elias’ nape. But it wasn’t until the blade tore into his skin that he felt the dagger against his throat.