Chapter Twenty-Three:
“One Damage to Rule Them All”
The chipmunk ricocheted between them, its cheeks grotesquely swollen with its resupply stored power.
But where before its bounces had atomized players into mist, now the magical vines caught and redirected its energy.
Rachel watched the creature's power readings fluctuate, showing clear drops with each impact.
Status effects still bloomed above players' heads.
[CONFUSED]
[PARALYZED]
[STUNNED]
But fewer now, the vines absorbing the worst of each blast.
The tides were turning, slowly but surely, as coordination replaced panic. Hope began to spark in the eyes of the survivors. The chipmunk's cheeks, still comically puffed, seemed less threatening now as it struggled against the magic tethering it.
"Keep it contained!" Rachel's voice carried through the carnage. "Don't let up! We can end this!"
Gameweaver's laughter rang through the air. "Oh, my precious little optimists. You think you've found the answer? That's adorable. But tell me, did you check what those status effects are really doing?"
Rachel's HUD suddenly blared an alert.
[CONFUSED STATUS EFFECT DETECTED - NEURAL INTERFACE COMPROMISED].
A section of the front line broke into disarray, as some Players, eyes clouded and movements erratic, began turning their weapons on their own allies.
The Pyre Flies above twist and turned as Players' own interfaces turned against them.
A young warrior swung his sword in a frenzied arc, striking at a nearby Mage who barely managed to raise a barrier in time. "It's not me! I can't control it!" he screamed, his voice cracking with panic. His stamina dipped dangerously low as his confused attacks drained his own energy.
"Isn't this just perfect?" Gameweaver’s voice thick with satisfaction. "Your own allies, your own interfaces, all turned against you. The beauty of betrayal, even when it's not their fault. Such exquisite despair!"
A Rogue with glazed eyes unleashed her daggers at a Healer trying to focus on a resurrection spell. The Healer cried out, barely dodging the blow before hurriedly chanting, "Calm! CALM!" soothing energy enveloped the Rogue, and the confusion effect faded, her vision clearing as she blinked at the chaos she had caused
Keira noticed the disarray and shouted over the roaring sounds of combat, "Target them lightly! Basic attacks, snap them out of it!" She herself rushed forward, her lighter blazing with flames as she dealt a controlled blow to a fellow Player, a swift, precise strike that cost him a sliver of his precious HP but successfully broke the confusion, clarity returned to his eyes.
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"Tsk tsk," Gameweaver's voice dripped with mock disappointment. "You're learning to counter one thing, yes, but oh my dears, I have so many more surprises waiting. After all," her voice took on an almost maternal tone, "what kind of game would it be if I showed all my cards at once?"
The chipmunk continued its onslaught, bouncing wildly, as more players succumbed to the confusion. In one corner of the clearing, a Paladin swung his mace, striking down an ally's shield with a powerful blow, only for the ally to retaliate, their health bars plummeting as friendly fire caused chaos.
"Oh, the poetry of it all!" The words slinked through their minds like oil on water. "Friends turning on friends, trust shattering like glass. Isn't it just... Delicious?"
"Don’t listen to her! Healers! Prioritize those confused!" Rachel yelled, her eyes calculating new streams of data.
She tracked a flurry of golden lights, Healers casting "Calm" across the battlefield, desperately trying to stabilize the players caught in the chipmunk's wild energy waves. Each successful cure a small victory against the chaos.
The battlefield was a blend of confusion and clarity, with allies struggling to bring order to the madness. Every cure and every light strike brought a little more hope, each effort slowly piecing together the cohesion they needed to stand against their bizarre, powerful opponent.
The Pyre Flies' movements began to steady, their display becoming more ordered as players regained control.
"Keira!" Rachel called out. "The convergence point, there!" Her fingers indicated the spot where all three vine networks intersected, forming a natural channel. The lighter pulsed in Keira's palm as understanding dawned in her eyes.
"Oho?" The Realm became ripe with her curiosity. "Now what could we possibly be planning?"
Keira held up her lighter and golden flame erupted along the vines.
The Druids' magic responded, their different-colored energies resonating with the fire as it traced a burning path through their network.
The Pyre Flies above began to spin, as if drawn into the emerging strategy.
The Chipmunk bounced frantically now, its movements becoming erratic as the burning vines herded it toward their trap. Its cheeks pulsed with desperate releases of power, but the coordinated network caught each blast, dispersing the energy in swirling patterns that Rachel's eyes tracked with perfect clarity.
Then she saw it, the perfect moment approaching as the creature's stored power dropped below critical levels. "NOW!" she screamed.
A Swordsman who had been waiting in the shadows burst forward, his blade catching the light from the burning vines.
Embers swirled around his face, illuminating eyes filled with desperate determination as he lunged through the fiery barrier. His scream built from somewhere deep inside, raw and primal, echoing through the ancient forest as he brought his sword around in one simple, perfect arc.
The blade connected.
The damage number "1" flashed crimson above the Chipmunk's head.
For a moment, everything stopped.
The Pyre Flies froze in mid-air, the chipmunk stood frozen, its tiny paws lifting as if in confused protest.
Then its eyes crossed, and it began to stumble in a wobbly circle, squeaking, drunk with hiccups. Its electric blue eyes dimmed to a foggy grey as it listed to one side, took two drunken steps, and plopped down with an undignified squeak.
Its form shimmered, then burst into a tiny puff of multicolored lights that swirled upward through the Pyre Flies, a miniature fireworks display.
A gentle shower of twinkling motes drifted down through the sudden silence.
A familiar victory fanfare echoed through the ancient trees, the triumphant notes rolling across the battlefield as notifications appeared in displays.
Rachel's mind raced with rapid calculations as she tracked the rewards appearing in players' inventories. A Health Potion. A small loaf of bread. A single copper coin. Her fingers traced quick notes in her virtual journal as she documented each item's appearance.
"Ten experience points," someone muttered, their tone caught between amusement and disbelief. "That's it? Rachel noted that detail too, this fight had cost them dearly for such a minimal gain.
"Well, well, WELL!" Her delight twisted through the air. "Now THAT was unexpected! One damage? Oh, the elegance of it! The sheer... Genius! But the real reward..." Her presence embraced them with an almost maternal pride, "is about to show itself."