Noxious Breath – Disease ridden breath will damage you for -276-HP per second for 30-Seconds. May cause additional random status effect.
That was a terrible debuff. I wasn’t sure how our healers were going to be able to heal through multiple stacks of that damage effect. However, I focused on the description. ‘Disease ridden breath’. It was that word, ‘Disease’. I had a spell that was designed to remove diseases and poisons. A spell I had only used once before. Without a poison or disease to use it against, the spell was mostly useless.
Skill: Holy Cleanse
Level: 1
Experience: 25.00%
Description: Suffuse a target with Holy energy, cleansing the body of toxins.
Spell Cast Speed: Instant
Range: 20-yards
Spell Effect (Active): Remove 1 poison or disease from a single target.
Mana Cost: -50-MP
Just to see if it would do anything, I tried ‘Holy Cleanse’ on her and much to my surprise, the stack of ‘Noxious Breath’ vanished. Then the boss suddenly gained a dark yellow, almost orange aura.
“Do not cleanse,” Twill yelled in warning. “It hates when you remove its breath effect.”
“Hey, pay attention toothpick face,” Rose taunted the monster, lowering the aura to a soft yellow color.
This was the ‘Threat Sense’ in action. It wasn’t perfect, but I really liked it anyway. I backed off for a minute, only adding stacks of ‘Holy Fire’ whenever the spell came off cooldown. Once the aura completely vanished, I went back to it.
Around 50% there was another ‘Fearful Trumpeting’, but this time I resisted, thank you ‘Mental Armor’.
Skill: Mental Armor
Rank: I
Level: 66
Experience: 81.54%
Description: Protecting the mind from external influences requires you create a Mental Armor to protect your thoughts, building layers over time to increase your defenses.
Skill Effect (Passive): Your mental toughness grants you a 3.30% chance to resist mental effects.
And thank you ‘Mental Fortification’ for the additional Fear resistance.
Skill: Mental Fortification
Rank: Beginner
Level: 19
Experience: 98.41%
Description: Bless a target to fortify the mind.
Spell Duration: 10-minutes
Spell Cast Speed: Instant
Range: 25-yards
Spell Effect (Active): Increase Intellect +29, Increase Wisdom +29, Increase Resistance to Fear 28%, Increases Resistance to Mind Control 28%.
Mana Cost: -100-MP
And curse you both to the deepest pits of the abyss.
Suddenly, the grootslang’s aura turned a dark angry red and the monster’s tusks were coming straight for me. I jumped, using ‘Body Control’ to get a little extra height and clear the monster. But the beast was fast. It turned quickly, homing in on me again.
This time, I zapped it with ‘Holy Shock’, buying myself an extra second to dive out of the way as it passed, but I still took a glancing blow to my leg robbing me -923-HP. Adding injury to injury, I saw another ‘Crippled’ debuff and my leg couldn’t support my weight.
“Alright, that is enough of that, you big ugly worm,” Harrison finally taunted the monster, drawing it away from me. Part of me was a little angry he hadn’t done so sooner.
I still needed to roll out of the way as its tail whipped over me. It probably would have killed me if it had hit.
“Jack, stop laying around,” Rose teased, charging back into the fight after the fear effect came to an end.
“Easy for you to say,” I called back at her, healing myself again. I got up just in time to see a nightmare come to life. At the entrance to the cavern was a
“Dougra, get the big one. I’ll hold the small one,” I said, running toward the cavern entrance. When the juvenile had fully entered the cave, I saw the tip of its tail, or rather the lack of a tip. “We meet again stumpy. Let’s dance,” I said, activating my ‘Order: Taunt’ skill and hoping against odds I would survive this.
Chapter 24
“If anyone has a dodge or dexterity buff to share, I could really use it right now,” I shouted, barrel rolling through the air and over the angry tusks of the juvenile. Immediately, I needed to drop and roll under the tail stump as it came whipping at me.
“Focus on the Immature grootslang,” Twill’s voice commanded. “Healers, do your best to keep the tanks upright, including that crazy Priest.”
I would have argued that the ‘crazy Priest’ might have just saved the raid by picking up the new arrival, but I was too busy dodging as if my life depended on it.
“Harrison, do you know ‘Command: Courage’?” I heard Rose ask.
“Yeah, we will need to take turns,” Harrison said.
“Great, Wilcox, only use the ‘Mind Ward’ on Harrison or me. We can break people in range out of the fear effect,” Rose ordered.
“Wilcox, do it,” Twill ordered.
“Harrison, I’m going to pick up the juvenile from Jack, you’ve got the ward this time so break us loose as fast as you can,” Rose said, her figure blurring and appearing next to me, her shields slamming into the grootslang and giving me some much needed relief.
“You’re late,” I said before she could say something snarky.
“You know me, I like making a grand entrance,” Rose said with a wink.
“Still late,” I said, diving over a tusk. The juvenile still had the angry dark red aura, its attacks completely fixated on me.
“I can leave this one with you if you prefer,” Rose offered.
“Let’s not be hasty now,” I said, worried for a second that Rose might actually leave me to deal with this thing on my own.
“That’s what I thought,” Rose said, smirking victoriously. “Now, let’s see what we can do about little brother worm.”
Rose must have used a taunt there because the red aura faded to an orange and it began alternating attacks between the two of us.
“Come on, is that the best you’ve got? You’re embarrassing your whole family,” Rose taunted again, turning the aura a light yellow. Then she added, “That’s more like it. Jack, keep second aggro just in case.”
I kept my shield equipped just to be safe, but otherwise I started attacking again. Sadly, my ‘One-Handed Polearms’ skill was still Rank I and not very high. The difference in my damage was noticeable.
Skill: One-Handed Polearms
Rank: I
Level: 41
Experience: 91.95%
Description: One-Handed Polearms grant you the ability to wield a polearm weapon with a single hand. With training, you are able to learn multiple attacks specific to polearms. Spears, Glaives, Poleaxes, Bardiches, Halberds, and Lances are all examples of Polearms.
Damage Modifier: +20.50
Critical Strike Modifier: +2.05%
Range: *Weapon Dependent
Standard Attack Stamina Cost: -5-SP
My ‘Phalanx Shield’ skill was better but also still just Rank I.
Skill: Phalanx Shield
Rank: I
Level: 93
Experience: 78.33%
Description: Phalanx Shield grants you the ability to carry a shield in your off hand. Phalanx Shields have notches carved into the four sub-cardinal directions meant to support a polearm. With training, you will be able to learn multiple attacks specific to shields.
Block Chance Modifier: +4.65%
Critical Block Chance Modifier: +2.33%
Range: Melee Only
Standard Block Stamina Cost: -5-SP
I made a mental note to work on them both while trying to raise my threat, pushing magic damage in an effort to darken the yellow aura, but nothing I did seemed to be enough as the aura kept g
etting lighter until it vanished all together. I could have tried to taunt but I was worried that would take too much aggro from Rose.
I heard a loud sucking of air from somewhere behind me. It was the sound I had come to associate with the precursor to ‘Fearful Trumpeting’. I heard the trumpet sound of the immature grootslang and this time I was sent running.
I only ran maybe half a dozen steps before I heard Harrison shouting. “Stand tall boys and girls, we are not done yet!” And with those words the fear vanished. I looked back to where I left the juvenile to find it gone and Rose with it. The pair were halfway across the cavern. Rose must have moved to intercept as she was now standing between it and Baby. With the long serpentine body, the grootslang might have been one of the few ground-based creatures that could have gotten to the Fairy when she was flying near the ceiling of the cavern.
I ran and leaped. I was midair when I finally saw a highlighted spot just behind the juvenile’s ear and directly in my path. I quickly put my shield away and added as many ‘Sudden Boost’ stacks as I could. It may have only added just over +16-Strength, but additional damage was additional damage. That plus a two handed ‘Power Thrust’ yielded an absolutely spectacular -2,314-HP critical strike and then the previously non-existent aura turned angry red.
Unfortunately for the grootslang, my attack impaled my spear through the back of the ear near the neck and out the front of the monster’s throat. With my spear impaled so deeply, the only thing the monster could do was to thrash about in an effort to dislodge me. When it rolled, I swear I thought that was the end of things for me but it only broke Baby’s most recent ‘Nature’s Ward’. The next roll though, that one nearly killed me . . . again. It also pushed my spear deeper until I lost my grip and was finally tossed aside.
“You really are crazy,” the Hunter I landed near said with a laugh as he continued firing arrows at the immature grootslang.
“Tell me something I don’t already know,” I grumbled, leaping back toward the juvenile grootslang that started moving toward me, my spear jutting out the front of its throat. “This is going to suck.”
I landed and slid under the tusks that were stabbing toward me. My hands reached out and grabbed the bit of my spear’s shaft that was exposed, jerking it to the side slightly as I did so. The juvenile didn’t like that. It suddenly reared high in the air, a gargle of pain escaped its mouth. I didn’t waste the opening. I braced my feet against it and pulled on my spear with all the might I could muster, launching off the grootslang and pulling my spear with me, opening the hole in the monster’s throat even wider.
I landed with a roll and looked up just in time to see a -847-HP float away and a ‘Silenced’ debuff appear under its nameplate. They could be silenced.
“Olaf, they can be silenced,” I shouted as I ran back to fight alongside Rose.
Two loud booms followed my shout that I recognized as Olaf’s hand-cannons. “Got it, Bye-bye. Harrison, stand this big ugly up and show me its throat!”
“One exposed jugular coming right up,” Harrison replied, a hint of a laugh in his answer.
“Not bad, Jack,” Rose complimented me.
“Now, we just need to keep it silenced,” I said, waiting for my shot. “I’ll keep hitting it in the same spot if you can give me the opening.”
“Consider it done,” Rose said, lashing out with one shield then the other, not only turning the head aside but forcing it to roll just enough for me to see the wounded throat.
I struck hard and fast. First with ‘Power Thrust’ and then with ‘Ligament Rip’, not sure if the second would tear through the vocal cords, if that was even what I had done in the first place. Still, I attacked, watching the blinking ‘Silence’ debuff turn solid again, the timer restarting.
“That worked,” I said, grinning. If it couldn’t make us unable to function with fear by using ‘Fearful Trumpeting’, then Rose and I could easily contain it. I just needed to hope Olaf and the others would be able to ‘Silence’ the other one or my efforts would all be for naught.
“Hunters focus fire on the throat just below the mouth,” Twill shouted, seeing my success with the juvenile and hoping to duplicate it with the immature.
I don’t know how long it was that Rose and I kept the juvenile grootslang silenced, I just know that by the time the others joined us, I was nearly sapped of all my SP and MP.
“Take a breather,” Harrison said, stepping in for Rose.
“We’ve got this now, Bye-bye,” Olaf said, pulling me back. “You two drink and recover for a minute. When you’re ready, help us kill this last bastard.”
A look around, showed that all of the Hunters had turned their attention to the juvenile grootslang. When I saw the immature grootslang down and unmoving, I slumped to the ground next to Rose breathing heavily.
“Did we . . . really . . . just . . . do that?” Rose asked between gasps of breath. I could clearly see her SP bar was hovering near empty and slowly refilling.
Not that mine was any better. I pulled a pair of canteens from my bag and handed one to Rose. I cracked open my own and started taking mouthfuls of water, watching my SP bar start refilling rapidly. Rose and I traded canteens and I recovered my mana with the sweet juice that was inside it.
“Let’s finish this,” Rose said, climbing to her feet first and offering me a hand up.
I accepted her help wordlessly. Back on my feet, I nodded my agreement.
Rose grinned. “Last one there is a rotten egg,” she joked, her form blurring from view.
“Cheater!” I called after her, then leaped into battle. Now that we knew how to ‘Silence’ the monster, it was relatively easy. Just dodge or block the quick and overly large tail and avoid getting impaled by the tusks and victory was assured. A very slow and deliberate victory, but still victory. The tanks traded aggro regularly as a precaution. If a tank went down, it would be better if the monster went after another tank instead of a healer or damage dealer. This left the damage dealers, like me, to focus on killing the monster and making sure it stayed silenced.
So, we fought, until with barely a gasp, the grootslang collapsed. The HP bar turned grey with no remaining health.
There was silence for a moment before a loud cheer went up from the Hunters. Victory was ours. We killed not one, but two grootslangs. That meant Marie could choose the Diamond Heart she wanted to use, and we could potentially sell the other one. Or save it for the future. Maybe one of my friends would find a use for it later.
I felt a hand clap me on my shoulder and break me from my delusions of riches. It was Twill.
“I will be honest with you, Mr. Jacko,” Twill began. “When that second grootslang showed up, I was prepared to order a retreat. At least half of my people would have died in the process, but some of us would have survived. If you had been just a little less crazy, I might have just done that. But when I saw you jump up and taunt that second monster. I admit, I felt a little hope that we could really take on two of them and win. Then you were able to damage the juvenile’s ability to breathe and prevented it from being able to blow through its nose. After that, it was not hope anymore. I knew . . . I knew in that moment we would win. This is something that will go down in the Hunter’s Union history. Job well done son.”
Quest Alert: Grootslang (Recommended Level 25-30) – Completed!
The hunt is on. Grootslang are a known danger of the Endless Savanna. An expedition is being formed to hunt and kill one of these World Class monsters. Hunters and craftsmen are always eager to obtain the very valuable materials that can be harvested upon the death of one of these monsters. Hunt down this creature and reap your rewards.
Reward: 50,000-Experience, Trumpet of the Grootslang, 50% of Crafting Materials Harvested
“If you ever found an order, just send an official message to the Hunter’s Union and your trophy will be delivered,” Twill added, smiling and offering an open hand to me.
I shook the offered hand and thanked him for his help.
Hidden Quest: Grootslang and Grootslang (Recommended Level 25-30) – Completed!
You killed not one but two grootslang in a single combat event.
Reward: +100,000-Experience, Title: World Class Hunter
I may have rubbed my hands together excited to check out the new title.
Congratulations! You’ve reached Level 22!
+1 to bonus Holy Spells, +1 Intellect, +1 Charisma
And a level. I don’t think my grin could have gotten any wider. And yet it did.
Title: World Class Hunter (Increases Tracking skills effects by 20%. Increases damage against Beasts and Monsters by 10%. Increases chance to scavenge something more useful from a Beast or Monster by 10%.
My heart may have skipped a beat. Plus 10% chance to scavenge something more useful from a Beast or Monster. My Level 76 Rank III ‘Scavenging’ skill currently only gave me a 3.76% chance to gain something more useful. If it continues at its current pace, then at level 100 and Rank X, that chance will cap at 10%. This new title effectively doubled that chance.
The cheers, woops, and ‘World Class Hunter’ titles that started appearing as part of the nameplates for the Hunters told me I wasn’t the only one awarded the new title. I was really glad the Hunters were able to get the same title.
World Tree Online- the Endless Savanna- 3rd Dive Page 42
