The instant Hazel was hit, Orion acted. A sigil flew from his hand.
Fwip!
It slapped onto Hazel’s back. A [Revival Sigil]. He hadn’t healed her; he’d given her a cheat death.
At the same time, a brilliant white light washed over Hazel.
+5493
It was Rena’s [Greater Heal], bringing Hazel’s health back over ten thousand.
Hazel wasn't just sitting there, either. She slammed her shield into the ground before her.
BANG!
-5655
The damage wasn’t nearly as devastating as the first hit. It seemed the Mirage Mawflower’s opening attack out of stealth had a damage bonus.
She’d held. She still had over 8,000 HP left.
Hazel immediately jammed a health potion into her mouth.
+5000
Rena’s buffs followed instantly.
[Inner Fire] (+1000 Defense, +1000 Physical Attack),
[Power Word: Shield] (Absorbs 5000 damage), and [Power Word: Radiance] (Heals for 1500 HP per second for 5 seconds) wrapped around her in a shimmering aura.
Lila launched herself forward with an [Earthshatter Leap], landing beside the Mawflower and sweeping her blade upward.
-5558
[Rising Slash]: 3 Skill Points
Launches the target into the air, dealing 150% damage.
Since the giant flower was rooted to the ground, the launch effect was nullified. Undeterred, Lila pressed in close, unleashing three waves of blade energy that erupted from her sword. Three damage numbers popped over the monster’s head:
-5083
-5119
-4995
[Dragon Slash (Rank 3)]:
Simultaneously releases 3 waves of blade energy, dealing (Attack + Strength*1.2) damage to enemies in a 10-yard cone.
This was the secret to Dragon Slash that Lila had discovered the night before: if you were close enough, all three waves of energy could hit a single target. It was a difficult condition to meet, requiring her to be practically hugging the enemy, or for the enemy to be massive.
From a distance, Kael was anything but idle. The vine around his waist wasn’t invincible; with enough force, it could be broken. But Kael chose finesse over brute strength.
[Mirror Image]!
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His form blurred. With a soft pop, the real Kael vanished, and the vine wrapped around him fell slack to the ground. Half a second later, Kael and his clone reappeared. The Mirage Mawflower immediately sent new vines snaking toward them. Kael directed his clone to sprint away. The vines stretched out to 50 yards and then stopped, unable to go further.
Fifty yards was their limit. For most players, that would be more than enough.
But they were facing Kael.
With the 40-yard range of his Galeharrow, the +10 yards from his Ranger’s Mark medallion, and the +5 yards from Orion’s Windbreaker Charm, Kael’s total attack range was 55 yards.
Kael activated the ability from his Wraithbinder set, [Summon: Ghostly Form]. A translucent spirit of himself floated out from his body.
[Ghost of Dawnbreaker]
Inherits 50% of the caster's Attack Power, converted to magic damage. Immune to physical attacks but takes double damage from magic.
Kael's current auto-attack damage was around 16,000. His clone and ghost dealt half that, at 8,000 each. But the Mirage Mawflower had almost zero magic defense, making the ghost’s damage output incredibly effective.
-14,103 (Kael)
-5702 (Clone)
-7629 (Ghost)
-21,842 (Clone Critical Hit)
-29,225 (Ghost Critical Hit)
…
A single volley melted over 70,000 of the Mawflower’s health.
The monster shrieked in agony. Unable to reach Kael, it vented its fury on the others. Its roots churned the earth, and the vines wrapped around the party suddenly darkened. Green numbers began ticking above everyone’s head.
-1805 (Poison)
-1732 (Poison)
…
Simultaneously, healing numbers appeared over the Mawflower:
+1805
+1732
…
A new debuff icon appeared on their screens:
[Mawflower Venom]:
Inflicts 2000 damage per second and heals the caster for the same amount. Lasts 5 seconds.
For Hazel, the poison was manageable. But for the other three, it was lethal if left unchecked. Rena instantly cast [Dispel] on herself, successfully cleansing the debuff. Orion slapped a cleansing sigil onto his chest and was also quickly cured.
Lila’s method was far more direct. She unleashed a skill called [Flurry Strikes].
[Flurry Strikes]: 3 Skill Points
Delivers 3 slashes in 2 seconds with a chance to sunder armor.
She hacked three times at the vine constricting her. It was unclear if it was the ferocity of her attack or the damage resistance from her [Edge Guard] talent kicking in, but the vine snapped. The debuff above her head vanished.
As for Hazel, she was less fortunate. She had to wait three seconds for Rena’s Dispel to come off cooldown before the poison was removed. But she was tanky enough that it didn't really matter.
Under Kael’s relentless assault, the Mirage Mawflower collapsed in just over ten seconds.
[System: You have slain the Mirage Mawflower. You have gained 1,000,000 EXP.]
A million experience from a single normal monster.
The monster dropped eight items. Six were crafting materials, and two were pieces of gear.
The first was a chestpiece.
[Mirage Platemail (Legendary)]: Level 30
+2000 Physical Defense
+500 Magic Defense
+500 Constitution
Requires: 800 Strength
The armor was a perfect fit for Hazel. 2000 physical defense and a 10,000 HP boost from the Constitution was just insane.
The second piece of gear, however, made everyone unsure whether to laugh or cry.
[Mirage Boots (Legendary)]: Level 30
+300 Intellect
+300 Spirit
+10% Casting Speed
+11 Movement Speed
Requires: 600 Intellect, 600 Spirit
Orion deadpanned. “The creature had no feet. Why would it drop a pair of boots?”
Hazel giggled. “Maybe it always dreamed of walking.”
“Perhaps you get what the monster lacks,” Lila mused.
Kael nodded. “There’s actually a theory about that. That a monster’s deficiencies can be reflected in its loot table. It’s pretty rare, though.”
The boots went to Rena. 300 Intellect would boost her healing by five or six hundred points, and 300 Spirit was a massive boon to her mana regeneration, casting speed, and spell costs.
As the Mirage Mawflower dissolved, the surrounding scenery flickered. The lush green landscape around them blurred for a moment before snapping back into focus.
“Stay sharp,” Kael warned immediately. “What we’re seeing is an illusion. That means there are more of them around.”
“Right.”
The group proceeded cautiously. As they walked, Lila moved up beside Kael.
“Since your attack range is longer than the flower’s reach,” she said, “do we even need to risk getting close to fight them?”
