Double team!
1267 Words
Zach gave each of his clones the order to attack the Bloodworm from up close. However, he himself stood back, well out of the mutant’s range.
While the Bloodworm focused on taking out the decoys, Zach used his charged magic attack to hit the dangling proboscis. He thought it might be a weak point, but the mutant barely took any damage. Neither Zach nor Aaron had any scoping or analysis skills to get detailed information about the enemy’s anatomy, which meant they had to find its weak point through trial and error.
With a whack of its enormous tail, the Bloodworm quickly dispatched the first clone. The second clone managed to get close enough to land a weak attack, before it was swallowed whole.
“You need to hurry up! I don’t wanna end up inside a freaking worm!” Zach cried aloud. He dodged an acid bolus coming his way, but managed to roll straight into a briar patch. The Bloodworm picked up the vibration and launched itself, head first towards its prey.
Zach would have been inside the mutant’s mouth if not for his ultimate escape ability. The Second Chance ability teleported him right behind the Bloodworm. While the worm still had its mouth buried in the briar patch, he seized the opportunity and activated his Trick or Treat ability.
Instead of a weapon, this time Zach managed to conjure a Greater Ward. It was a set of 3 purple coloured wooden shafts tied together with black string. Zach knew at once what kind of ward it was. Before the worm turned around, he jammed the ward into the ground and stepped back 10 paces. Using his staff, he fired away a magic missile, targeting the ward.
Almost immediately, the wooden shafts emitted a bright light and unleashed a dark curse. A tangled mass of glowing purple ropes looped around the Bloodworm's squirming body, fixing it in place. No amount of thrashing loosened the knots which tightened on their own. All of its stamina was instantly drained and it felt fatigued and weak.
The ward which Zach had activated was a Greater Binding Ward—a mid-level magic trap capable of disabling all enemies on the ground. Though the Bloodworm was resistant to magic damage, it was still vulnerable to all magical debuffs. This special ward utilised dark magic to trap any foe in the vicinity, no matter the size. Since it was a Greater Ward, its effects lasted longer than the common ones. The only way the Bloodworm could break free from the binding curse was by destroying the ward, but right now it was in no condition to even move a muscle.
By the time the ward was depleted of energy, Aaron had completed channelling his tier 3 skill. He now held a 5 foot long burning spear in his hand. It wasn’t made out of wood or even metal, but was composed entirely of lava.
Aaron had all the time in the world to take him. And he did not miss. The blazing spear went straight through the Bloodworm’s skin, piercing its intestines. The impact dealt over 4000 points of damage and set the soft flesh on fire. Since the Bloodworm was an organic entity composed of skin and tissue, it was inflicted with the burning status effect. When it finally broke free from its binds, it forgot all about Zach and targeted Aaron.
Blobs of acid rained down on Aaron as he tried to get close to the Bloodworm. It was impossible to dodge such frenzied ranged attacks, so he crossed his arms in front and cast the Radiant Protection skill. He was quickly encased in a sphere of light, which absorbed the acid attacks.
“Back me up, bro! Let’s hit it from both sides!”
Aaron charged ahead with his polished Naginata in hand. Zach responded at once and hit the Bloodworm with a blast of magic energy. Since the Bloodworm was on fire, it no longer had any magic resistance left and took full damage from the magic attack.
“Skill: Stone Armour! Scroll: Greater Evasion! Skill: Lesser damage boost!”
Zach buffed Aaron’s defensive capabilities, allowing him to fearlessly close the gap and deliver a charged s***h attack with his Naginata. With the added damage boost, it took out a chunk of the mutant’s HP.
The Bloodworm chomped down hard, hoping to devour Aaron, but he quickly jumped up using his Leaping Leopard ability. Mid-air, he pulled out his lasso and grabbed hold of the tallest branch of the beech tree above him. Swinging his body like a perfect acrobat, he gained elevation before finally letting go at the highest point.
“Naginata full power! Blade Dash!”
Aaron plummeted from a height of 30 feet and slashed open the Bloodworm’s skin, spilling out its innards. It was a lucky critical hit, scoring over 10k points of damage! The mutant’s HP dropped to zero and it exploded in a gory mist of flesh and guts.
[*Third Zone Guardian Defeated!*]
[Mutated Bloodworm Killed!]
[+250,000 XP]
[Achievement Unlocked: Mutant Killer!]
[100,000 Sky Gems Acquired!]
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 25!]
[*2 Skill Points Acquired*]
[*2 New Abilities Acquired*]
[1. Threefold s***h: Activate this ability to unleash a combo attack using a bladed weapon. The first 2 hits deal normal damage, while the third is a guaranteed critical which ignores light armour. It can be used once per day.]
[2. Sense Weakness: Activate the ability to scan an enemy for weak points. It can be used once per day.]
The Z-band’s announcements kept going for a long time and just when Aaron thought it was over, a shiny metallic box dropped out of the sky, along with an oval-shaped red stone, the size of a baseball. A new set of notifications popped up again, along with the celebratory fireworks on screen.
[*Platinum Loot Chest Awarded!*]
[*Evolution Stone Acquired!*]
“I can’t believe we managed to kill a Zone Guardian on our first try! This is f*****g legit!” Zach cried out, pumping his fist in celebration.
“I told you we make a solid team,” Aaron chuckled back. “We are the f*****g best co-op duo!”
Defeating a Zone Guardian was no small feat. And to do it with a team of only 2 was truly insane. However, Aaron and Zach weren’t the only ones who had managed to pull off this incredible win. The other teams on the island had also managed to defeat one Zone Guardian each. News of the Mutated Bloodworm being defeated would soon be broadcast globally and this would attract the attention of the other players.
“One of us should evolve right now. There’s no telling when we might encounter a human player.” Aaron looked at Zach and he understood the question.
“You should be the one to rank-up. After all, you did all the hard work,” Zach said, tapping Aaron on his shoulder.
“You sure?”
“A hundred percent. Go for it bro!”
The Evolution Stone was the most sought after item on Solaris, far more valuable than any precious gem. It could only be obtained by defeating a Zone Guardian, which made it a worthy prize. Zach wanted to use the stone himself, but he knew it would serve Aaron better, since he was at a higher level.
With Zach’s approval, Aaron walked up to the stone and took it in his hand. He felt a strange energy pulsating from within. His Z-band immediately displayed a vital choice.
[*Do you wish to evolve?*]
[Yes] [No]
- Writer
