Alexis tilted his head diagonally, cracking his neck twice to prepare for combat. His Abyssal mantle was now a cape with three sword-like tendrils hanging attached, swaying in the breeze, ready to strike. His mind was playing BFG division on repeat.
"Wish I had some form of long-range attack..."
*Pitter Patter*
Rain began falling within the boss arena, a gimmick the developer added to make the fights more interesting in the game. Sometimes it could be winter making you move slower. For others, it would be a heatwave causing a constant health-draining debuff caused because of the excess elemental mana in the weather.
Alexis liked the rain type the most. It masked sounds increasing the success of ambushes but caused a stacking slow depending on how long you spent in the rain. The troll was within the range of his attack, its sizeable green body filled with dirt and filth even the rain couldn't wash away. Alexis could practically smell its vile odour, almost making him gag from atop the pillar.
The three tendrils rose upwards, now shaped like western swords roughly a metre long. Chaotic mana filled them with increasing extreme tension, coiled back like a snake ready to strike.
"It's now or never!"
"Grak?" The troll felt an intense wind force approaching his face, suddenly feeling severe pain as three raven black sword-like objects stabbed his face. The wind howled, reaching his ears before a sudden intense pain dominated the troll's senses.
"Gerak...!" The attack caused one of his eyes to explode in a mess of black blood and flesh. Two sword lights landed, glancing damage leaving two deep gashes in the troll's cheek, now leaving a horrifying image of a one-eyed troll missing half its cheek.
"Shit!? Not enough!"
Alexis was hoping to end this fight quickly. Although he could use the pillars, they could only take so many hits before breaking, generally completing this boss with a party. Doing this solo seemed slightly foolish.
"No point crying over spilt milk..."
"GRAAAAAAK!"
The troll was enraged, growing one size larger with massive bulging muscles filled with veins. The troll's eyes turned red. Its body seemed to be emitting steam. The stone mace began cracking under the troll's powerful grip.
"Woah..."
Alexis felt the ground shake, the sheer impact of the troll's strike upon the pillar causing him to lose balance falling onto his ass. He felt slight fear towards the troll's sheer power, which almost obliterated the stone pillars monument with a single strike.
"That's not good!"
Once again, raising its muscular arm, the troll pulled its arm sideways for a broad sweep, aiming to obliterate the pillar, removing Alexis's vantage point.
"Haaah!"
Not planning to stick around and do nothing, Alexis used his three tendrils, changing their shape into a katana-like form, slashing out with over nine waves of black light towards the troll's body, using the force to propel himself off the pillar with a backflip. Moments later, the pillar crumbled, followed by the troll's warlike cry.
"Argh... Damnit, why is it so strong!"
A flash of lightning struck, revealing Alexis in the darkness, almost shooting towards the next pillar with quickened steps. Griping onto the pillar's monument with one hand pulled himself up with a light jump. Sweat filled his brow.
Unable to find the female elf, the troll began searching its previous location and smashing the ground in a rage, its roar spreading its disgusting sticky saliva everywhere. The damage was so intense Alexis could feel it over ten metres away, hoping for the time limit to run out soon as he crouched his body, placing a hand on the damn stone, waiting for an opportunity to attack.
His eyes locked on the troll, trying to control his intense breathing, "I need to work on my fitness after today!" Alexis felt the shortcoming of being a Summoner instead of a Thief class. "Phew!"
The Tendrils could act without orders, following basic shapes and attack patterns, one he reached level five, he'd learn a new skill, hoping for a spell which would allow him to use the Tendrils on automatic proximity defence.
The torrent of rain flooded the arena like a waterfall as the troll seemed to sense the scent of his prey, with thundering steps shaking the very earth, slowly approaching Alexis. Several of its bloody wounds began to heal slowly, leaving only its thick black blood staining its body.
"Shit, it's regenerating!?"
Since the damage wasn't fatal, the troll could now regenerate almost permanently to one-third of its health, meaning Alexis had to kill him with a flurry of blows that exceeded its remaining ten health.
"Grrrrrlaak"
Sparks flickered around the stone mace the troll was dragging along the arena floor. Alexis took several deep breaths. It was now or never. Would he fight head-on or continue to use the pillars and hope for a lucky hit before his body tired too much and lost the fight?
Both the troll and Alexis stared at each other, one several metres in the air standing on a stone pillar with a lion's monument sticking out. The other was on a cracked primitive concrete floor holding a giant mace that caused an indentation on the flooring.
"Hmph!"
Time seemed to move in slow motion. Alexis could hear his heartbeat, the bass kicking in at the climax of the BFG division. Was he going to act like a coward just like before, always fighting in the shadows? No way!
"Let's dance, big boy!"
Alexis now had a wild smile, the tendrils no longer in katana form. They had switched into a mace-like shape with several spiked studs. "Since the troll liked to play with maces. Why not smash its ugly face with one?" His thoughts were cut short by the changes in the troll's face seeming to understand his intent.
"Grrrrrak Virul Wrox Efmos!"
The troll also felt the elf's desire to fight, a crooked smile filled with dirty yellow teeth and a rotten stench. Its arm started tensing, preparing to smash this little ant's head into nothing but Sunday dinner.
Both acted instantly, the flash of lightning revealing their figures. The troll slammed its mace against the pillar with an explosive sound crushing the rock into powder, hoping to bring the elf down onto the ground. Alexis had waited for the moment of impact to assault the troll, leaping from the tilting pillar with a moment of surprise.
"Hah!"
Alexis rotated himself in mid-air, adding momentum to the tendrils that struck down at the height of velocity, causing three reverberating thuds smashing behind the troll's skull, using the recoil to backflip lightly onto the ground with an elegant pose.
"Grrrak..."
As if the troll lost all thoughts, it stood dazed, swaying like a concussed boxer. The blunt injury to the back of its skull seemed to have caused severe damage to its ability to balance. Once the damage caught up, blood poured from its nose and ears falling to one knee.
"You shouldn't have called me a 'vile elven whore' I know I'm beautiful. However, I'm a male!"
Alexis walked towards the troll's front. Its mace lay on the ground several metres away. The troll struggled to look towards Alexis's face, its remaining eye filled with acceptance and peace. Alexis honestly didn't dislike trolls. Unlike other games, they were an honourable race who would accept combat results completely. The troll seemed to have fought to its last breath, spreading both arms and offering prayer to the god of battle, Delithas.
Not interrupting the troll's prayer, faith was more important than anything for monsters and demons in this world. This little addition to the game, Normally, their prayers are ignored by players as a 'BURST' phase. not wanting to treat his world like a game anymore, Alexis knelt, holding his hand in front of his chest, offering prayer to his mother Candra, the fallen goddess of earth and love. Now the goddess of chaos and evil.
The pair silently prayed for almost ten minutes. The troll didn't make any moves. The troll's body remained bleeding as its exhausted muscles began to wither, barely able to hold up its arms anymore as they drooped to the side of the troll.
"So this is how the weak debuff manifests in reality."
Alexis wanted to test a theory he'd read once in a forum post. It stated that if you ate a troll's living heart, you'd gain their regenerative ability permanently. Being someone who could die at any moment, this was something vital for Alexis.
"Sorry, but I have to do this, big guy. Forgive me in your next life, right?"
A single tendril transformed into a sharp blade, thrusting into the troll's exhausted body, easily piercing through its now slightly tender flesh and bone. The troll let out a slight whimper, gargling on its blood, going into shock as the tendril brought the heart into Alexis's mouth.
"Ugh..."
The heart had an extremely iron-like taste, the thick fishy-smelling blood making Alexis feel nauseous, forcing his body to accept the horrible taste and texture chewing down the large ball-sized heart. Upon swallowing, Alexis felt a burning hot sensation filling him. It started from his stomach, spreading to every part of his body, causing him to sweat heavily, leaving a thick grey and disgusting-smelling viscous substance.
"Argh! It smells like shit!"
Now he'd have to take a shower. The guild knew that some dungeons would leave people a mess depending on the weather conditions and arena type. Thankfully, the guild built a restroom outside the dungeon's entrance containing a bathroom, shower and nap room.
The rooms had the same technology as the dungeon. Each person would enter their personal space. However, Parties and raids could join a group restroom fitted to suit groups of up to eight.
"Let's see if anything changed. Hopefully, it wasn't a hoax."
_________
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[Combat]
[Non-Combat]
_______________________________
"My HP is pathetically low. I hope I can earn a new summon soon. Next level, I'll receive a new spell. However, the game didn't have a summoner class, so I don't know what to expect."
Alexis was currently taking a shower, with Imra rolling around on the fluffy double bed listening to his complaining. She was initially pouting because Alexis refused to let her join. Imra, a master of seduction and distraction, managed to get him to promise a date during this weekend's free time, so she was elated.
"Hmph! You just summoned me, and now you're thinking of other women? I hope you don't summon that psychopath minotaur Salia!"
Imra did not know the effects her casual statement would soon come true, causing her almost endless fights for the prime seat beside Alexis.
Alexis came out of the shower, his tanned muscular body still dripping wet on show, he decided to give Imra some fan service for all her hard work. His body walked towards the bed sitting down with a thunk beside Imra.
Imra was enchanted by his upper body, before her vision trailed down to his obvious large package, her cheeky hands reaching to move the towel only to be slapped away by Alexis, who held her chin sliding across her lips and squishing them with his thumb.
"Mmmmm," Imra said, trying to protest.
"Not now, the academy curfew is 9:00 PM and it's already 8:34 PM, we have all the time in the world to mess around. Behave for me 'kay?"