-41087

  The first arrow that struck was a triple damage critical hit.

  Kael and his three clones unleashed a furious volley at the boss, each shot a pinpoint of deadly accuracy.

  -7265

  -14722

  -22743

  ...

  Kael deliberately staggered the firing interval between himself and his clones, landing an arrow in the boss every 0.2 seconds. It was a perfect rhythm, ensuring that the passive effect of his Galeharrow bow would trigger again within the two-second window of his Silkbind Shot.

  Guardian Susan, the poor specter, had built her entire strategy around her ghost form, which was immune to physical damage. But now, forced into a corporeal state with zero defense, she couldn't withstand Kael’s relentless assault. Her health bar was melting.

  Between Kael and his clones, their combined damage output against the zero-armor boss was a staggering fifty to sixty thousand per second.

  Susan thrashed wildly, her spells exploding across the cavern floor. It was a futile effort. Kael’s effective range was sixty yards, well beyond her reach.

  Her health was visibly draining:

  8,000,000

  6,000,000

  4,000,000

  ...

  When her life force hit the three-million mark, she let out a piercing shriek. The blue light radiating from her body intensified until it was impossible to look at directly. After a final, prolonged scream, the blue glow was consumed by a blinding golden aura.

  Kael’s arrows clinked harmlessly against her, the words Immune and Immune popping up in a frustrating stream.

  Then, with a flash of gold, Susan lunged straight for him.

  -10743

  A massive damage number erupted over Kael’s head. He raised his bow to fire back, but she had already reverted to her ghost form, phasing through the floor and drifting outside the glyph of manifestation that had made her vulnerable.

  Kael immediately crushed a Mender's Rapid Infusion crystal in his hand.

  +5000

  +5000

  The potion’s healing-over-time effect restored ten thousand health in two seconds.

  -6322

  An enemy spell hit him, but Rena and Glytter’s heals landed almost instantly, topping him off.

  +3273 (Healing Touch)

  +1050 (Rejuvenation)

  +1050 (Rejuvenation)

  ...

  Seeing that he couldn't damage the boss anymore, Kael fell back on his original strategy: kiting her back into the glyph.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  But she wasn't falling for it twice.

  Every time he neared the glowing circle on the floor, she would veer away, intelligently altering her pursuit path. He tried circling around from another direction, but she mirrored him, always keeping a safe distance from the trap.

  Goddammit, just get in the fucking circle!

  Kael gritted his teeth in frustration.

  Hazel was getting anxious on the sidelines. "IronShell, big guy, can't you use that skill from before?" she yelled.

  IronShell shook his massive head. "It's a root, not a pull. It won't displace her. If one of you can knock her into the glyph, I can lock her down. But I can't force her to move."

  The others shook their heads. No one had a knockback or pull ability.

  Just then, Angler spoke up. "I can make her walk into it."

  Everyone turned to him. "For real? That would be clutch!"

  Angler walked to within fifteen yards of the spectral boss. He opened his mouth, and a shimmering mote of psionic energy erupted from his throat, homing in on the ghost. As the point of light reached her head, it flashed brightly and burrowed into her mind.

  [Soul Control]!

  The Guardian froze mid-stride, her movements halting abruptly. Her eyes glazed over. Then, like a puppet on strings, she began to walk, step by deliberate step, right into the center of the glyph.

  The mind control only lasted for a little over a second before her senses returned. Realizing her mistake, she spun around to flee.

  But it was too late.

  Ethereal chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around her ethereal form and binding her in place. IronShell had used Shackles of Spirit.

  Kael and his clones were already waiting, bows drawn. The moment Susan became corporeal, pinned inside the glyph, they unleashed hell. This time, there were no more tricks, no more invulnerability phases.

  Under Kael’s ferocious burn, the boss's health plummeted like a lead weight.

  2,500,000

  1,050,000

  600,000

  40,000

  2,000

  1

  Strangely, her health didn't drop to zero. It stopped at a single point and refused to go lower. The other party members' attacks started hitting her for Immune again.

  "Hold your fire!" Kael shouted. "It's a story beat."

  Everyone stopped, watching to see what would happen next.

  Susan's form began to shrink, compressing from its massive boss-like stature down to that of a normal woman. She floated over to Kael, her spectral eyes studying him intently.

  After a long moment, she spoke, her voice a soft echo. "Who are you? Why do you covet the Hawthorne family legacy?"

  Kael lowered his bow and offered a respectful nod. "My name is Dawnbreaker. Chief Cade of Beryl Creek sent me to retrieve your family's legacy. He needs it to rebuild the town."

  Susan looked stunned. "Chief Cade? Rebuild Beryl Creek?" she murmured to herself, confused.

  "Yes," Kael said. "Twenty years ago, The Warchief invaded Beryl Creek. The town was sacked, its people..."

  "You're lying!" Susan shrieked, her voice sharp with disbelief. "I was in the village just three days ago! It was fine!"

  "Ma'am, he's telling the truth," Rena said, walking forward gently. The others followed. "And... you've been dead for twenty years."

  "What?"

  The words struck Susan like a physical blow. Her form flickered violently. "Dead? I'm... dead... I... Ah... AAAAAHHHH!"

  She collapsed to the floor, a soul in torment, letting out a roar of anguish that echoed with two decades of confusion and loss. The group stood around her in silence, watching the tragic scene unfold.

  For twenty years, her spirit had remained here, a faithful guardian, completely unaware of her own fate. No one could imagine what that long, lonely vigil must have been like.

  After what felt like an eternity, her roars subsided. She slowly picked herself up, her gaze once again finding Kael. But this time, the anger was gone, replaced by a dawning, horrified understanding.

  "I remember now," she whispered. "It was the Soul-Devourer."

  "The Soul-Devourer?" the group echoed.

  Susan nodded. "It was the guardian beast of Beryl Creek—or so we thought. The Hawthorne legacy has always been protected by my family... and the Soul-Devourer."

  She stared off into the darkness, lost in the memory. "That day, I was making my rounds in the caves with it, just like any other day. Suddenly, it started acting strangely, letting out these sharp cries. I thought it was sick, so I didn't pay it much mind."

  Her voice trembled. "But the cries grew more and more shrill, and its eyes... its eyes turned blood red. By the time I realized something was terribly wrong, it was too late. It lunged at me, a complete ambush. And the next thing I knew... I was like this."

  Kael nodded, the pieces clicking into place. The so-called guardian beast had to have been an agent of The Warchief, planted there long in advance. Thinking of their objective, he asked, "When we came in, we saw the path split. I'm guessing the Soul-Devourer is down the other tunnel. Does it have any weaknesses?"

  "It can tear the soul from your body," Susan warned. "You must not get hit by its magic."

  "Is there any way to counter it?" Kael pressed.

  Susan looked at the party, her ethereal form solidifying with new resolve. "Take me with you," she said. "I may not have the power to defeat it, but I can still break its dark magic."