“Huh? Who are you?”
A surprised voice came from a young female Ratkin standing at the side, a white coat. Her face looked haggard, her body showing clear signs of a beating.
“Quick, Lersra. We are here to save you. e with us.”
“Really?”
At this moment S peeked out of the tunnel, reassuring their healer, urgio leave with them.
But the tter hesitated.
“I… I ’t. Those bandits took my book away. I ’t let it fall into their hands!”
Silver Bde was just about to expiuation when a door was shoved open with a rumble.
“What’s going on here?!”
A bandit suddeered, shouting loudly, sing the party with a fierd face.
Silver Bde felt a strange pressure as she checked the newer.
[Lazy Locust Bandit CaptainRae
Level: 10
HP: 2000/2000]
Radiant Shield frowned as he faced the elite.
“What’s up with those HP?”
Liam urged everyoo leave the tunnel as he expined hastily.
“Level 10 is a threshold in the game.
Now hurry up guys, we o win. This quest will beore difficult the longer we dey.”
With Liam’s warning Silver Bde didn’t wait for the bandit to make the first move. Shoving the beds away, she immediately engaged, even before the entire party could leave the tunnel.
“Intruders! Are you here to kidnap our healer?!”
The bandit bellowed angrily as he swung a huge wooden club like a small tree trunk, veins on his arms moving like snakes.
[Stance – 9]
“Attack!”
Quickstep led the charge, eager for a fight. Attacks rained down on the bandit captain crashing against his makeshift armor.
But when the pyers saw the numbers popping up, they almost didn’t believe their eyes.
[-25!]
[-26!]
[-11!]
“Where is my damage?”, pined Silent Acacia, distressed.
Liam wore a grave face as well, the fight more difficult than he expected.
“Don’t hold anything back!”
“Yes, sir!”
Cye answered jokingly, using her new level 5 skill which allowed for a higher firing power.
[-85!]
[-85!]
[-85!]
Everyoared at the huge numbers above the bandit’s head.
“How? Cye casually out-damages all of us.”
“My item effect triggered.”, expined Cye with a foolish giggle.
“I won’t let you leave!”
The bandit captain yelled with a deep voice. He shoved his body past Silver Bde, his eyes clearly focused on Cye.
“Oh no, you drew aggro!”
“Careful!”
“Protect Cye!”
Attacks came from all sides, but the elite ighem, eager to take out the pesky mage.
The air stirred as a heavy club was swung, threatening to bash Cye’s head in.
The blond anicked.
“Stay away from me!”
Using her [Push] skill, Cye gained some distance, interrupting the elite’s attack.
A moment ter Radiant Shield bashed his shield into the pirate’s back, prompting him to turn around and stare at the tank in hatred.
“Good job!”
Liam praised as he swung his bde again, the sharp edge cutting through the air.
[-28!]
After another round of attacks the melee csses built up enough fury to use their skills, drowning the elite in attacks.
“You will pay fering me!”
The bandit captain huffed heavily. He raised his club over his head, his arms turning red, vague steam rising from them.
“Careful! He’s using a skill!”
The bandit captain wildly swung his club, going on a rampage, sending the party into a mad scramble.
No one dared to get near. Herbs and bottles were shattered to pieces.
“ARGH!”
With a guttural roar the bandit captain suddenly made a short jump. Not even Liam had expected this as the bandit abruptly ered Balm.
“Nono, stay away!”
“Don’t use your skills!”
Silver Bde quickly warhe young mage. She knew from a quick check that the bandit’s skill couldn’t be interrupted.
“But, but…”
Balm stammered; her body frozen as the bandit would surely kill her the sed.
Suddenly a burly back appeared before her.
“Don’t worry, honored mage. For no harm will befall you.”
“Radiant Shield!”
Balm excimed happily; her eyes focused on the broad back.
Cye had watched her friend with worry, but now her look turned someeculiar.
Radiant Shield oher hand did his job, blog the heavy club. His stance was emptied immediately, some damage ing through.
[-34!]
But the bandit’s skill wasn’t over yet, nding another solid hit.
[-195!]
Radiant Shield groaned as more than a third of his HP were gone.
“Are you ok?”, Balm appeared somewhat timid as she asked with worry.
“Of course. A mere bandit ’t brio fall!”
Luckily, the bandit’s skill ended, f him to enter a weakeate.
Silver Bde immediately noticed the opportunity.
“The boss is weakened! Use everything!”
A huge k of HP disappeared from the elite, sending him below half health.
Silver Bde took over the aggro again. The process repeated itself. Although Cye didn’t nd another double hit, the bandit elite’s HP were slowly dwindling down.
Before falling the elite used his skill again, not tend with traveling to the afterlife alone. But after seeing it once, everyone repared, not giving the bandit any ce.
He died with grievances on his face.
“Phew. Did it. It was indeed not that easy this time.”
“Yeah, it was just ae, but both our tanks lost more than half HP.”
“At least we saved out health potions.”
While the party discussed animatedly, Balm approached Radiant Shield with a shy expression.
“Radiant Shield, thank you for saving me!”
“Oh o thank me, maiden! This is what a hero should do!”
Cye snickered as she walked by them to pick up the loot. Getting a green-magic bow, she ha to Silent Acacia without discussion.
“I really his. My damage this fight was abysmal.”
“True, true.”
Cye pyfully mocked as she looked at the rest of the loot in her iory.
“Oh, what’s this?”
As the mage took out a yellowed scroll, everyone looked at it in fusion. Even Liam only reized the item type but couldn’t tell the exact effect without iing it.
“Wow!”
Cye excimed joyously but didn’t show any signs of expining. Quickstep rolled her eyes as she implored the blond woman:
“ you tell us more?”
“More what?”
“You kly what I mean…”
Feeling that her friends were ready to beat her up, Cye snickered and revealed the scroll’s tents.
“It’s a summoning scroll! It allows us to summon the bandit captain oo fight for us!”
“Really? Such a good deal?!”
“Doesn’t this make the dungeon raid way easier?”
Liam listened calmly, not wanting to douse everyone’s excitement. Although a summoning scroll could be powerful, a dungeon wasn’t beaten purely with stats.
While the group discussed animatedly, Silver Bde turowards the Ratkin healer.
“We have killed the bandit. Please, follow us now to safety.”
“I’m sorry, brave adventurer but I ’t go like this! I need my book back!”
“Ok.”, sighed Silver Bde exasperatedly. “Where is your book?”
“It should in one of the captains’ rooms upstairs.”
“Good. We will hurry up.”
A prompt appeared before the party, reminding them to refocus on the quest.
[
[Step one: Speak to S]
[Step two: Ehe Lazy Locust Bandit Fortress through S’s tunnel.
[Step three: Defeat the bandit captain.
[Step four: Retrieve Lersra’s precious book.]
[Restri: Retionship of friendly her with Ratkin vilge.]
[Failure ditions: Lersra dies.]
“Damn, we are still not done?”, questioned Silent Acacia.
“Anht lies before us.”, spoke Bloody Edge sternly.
But Liam shook his head.
“No. We ’t fight this one, we are too low leveled.”
“Hmm? Then what should we do, expert?”
“One of our thieves will have to do the job.”
Silent Acacia and Bloody Edge looked at each other in surprise.
“Are we going to steal the book?”
“Exactly. Which of you wants to go?”
Silent Acacia and Bloody Edge stared at each other, both eager to give it a try. Silent Acacia hoped for a challenge while Bloody Edge wao prove himself.
Eventually Acacia gave in, pnning to take the role of a security in case Bloody Edge fails.
“Good idea babe. If he doesn’t fail it wouldn’t be challenging for you anyways.”
Quickstep happily talked to her boyfriend, sending a jab at Bloody Edge.
“Hmpf. I will be silent like a shadow, besting every thief out there!”
“Just leave.”
Silver Bde shook her head as she sent Bloody Edge away. Now the party could do nothing but wait, hoping for Bloody Edge to successfully retrieve the book.
At the same time, outside. A pair of eyes watched the Ratkin vilge leader from the shadows.
“Perfect! I have been p on hot to get into this bandit ir. Who would’ve thought that someone would e and draw so much attention.
Today I, Bck Rat, shall steal the bandit treasure! This precious quest will be pleted easily.”
A thief cdded in bck came out of the forest, carefully throwing a hook to climb the fort’s wall.
If Liam were here, he… wouldn’t have reized the thief anyways.