"Go!" I give the command before anyone can disagree. Sometimes, it's more important to be decisive than to be right, and this is one of those times. We have a near-absolute advantage from the lingering effects of the Monster's Bane plus the added benefit of a temporary safe zone. We burst through the mist that hangs low in the air and come upon a massive six-legged lizard monster. Metallic scales cover most of its body, standing at least two meters tall. They're most notable for having the ability to use magic that transforms the land. The combination of their robust build and powerful spells makes them difficult to deal with. They're relatively slow but pack a devastating bite. One of their signature moves is to disrupt the ground to make their target lose their footing. Once off balance, the Dracoterra will move in and deliver the finishing blow with its powerful jaws.
"It's a Dracoterra; watch your footing!" I call out to everyone as I rush past Josh. The monster is still reeling from taking a face full of the poison mist. I decide to use this opportunity to get a free hit. I pull back my spear and thrust it forward to maximize the force of the strike. I aim the tip of my spear at its left eye, but the monster moves its head to the side, leaving only a scratch across its face.
[It has already lost at least one-quarter of its health, considering my damage to it. If we can cripple it, then we have a solid chance of winning.]
Health Points will prevent any damage from occurring as long as they stay above seventy-five percent. Attacking weak points reduces Health Points more quickly, so the eyes are a good target. I look back at my teammates rushing forward to help me.
"Sakura!" I call out to her while pulling back.
"Hai!"
"Can you keep an eye out for other Monsters?"
"Got it." Sakura slows down and scans the area.
"Josh, use your Anchoring potion!" I reach for my own as I give him the order. By using this potion, it will temporarily give us the skill which will help us during the battle and can make it easier to learn later.
"Got it!" He says as he chugs the small bottle.
"Make sure to pull back if it charges!"
As if on command, the scaled behemoth barrels toward us. Josh jumps backward while landing a few blows. I try to get a strike in myself, but I'm preoccupied with making sure Josh doesn't get trampled.
"Watch your step!" Josh ignores me and keeps his eyes on the beast. I see a magic circle forming on the ground below its feet. Immediately after, a crack appears and shoots forward, breaking Josh's stance. His eyes open wide in shock. I grab the scruff of his collar and fall back into the cloud of Monster's Bane directly behind us.
[This is about what I expected to happen. We need to use what little time we have left to formulate a plan.]
I help Josh up and turn to Sakura.
"Anything?"
"No monsters at the moment."
"Good. We've got some breathing room."
"You're not seriously going to fight that thing, are you?" Scott protests.
"What do you to think?" I turn to the kids to get their opinion.
"Let's do it!" Sakura shouts excitedly.
"Yes." Josh agrees.
"You're all fucking insane!" Scott shouts with his hands on his head.
This may seem like too much for you, but we've got a great opportunity to take down this monster. It's heavily wounded; all we need to do is finish the job. I just need you to trust us. This is our chance to make a big kill." I entangle them with my words to prevent their escape.
Scott grinds his teeth in frustration before responding.
"Fine, but you owe us big for this."
"Of course," I say with a smile. "Josh and I will take turns fending off its attacks while you and Neji take turns attacking the flank. You two will retreat if it makes any move in your direction. Sakura will keep watch and back us up with arrows. Amanda will stay back as a healer and only jump in as a last resort, any questions."
I take command and lay out my strategy. "We'll be spread very thin, but this plan will give us the best chance to win an extended battle. All we need to do is survive." I wait for any questions, but no one speaks up. After gathering their consent, I turn to Josh.
"You're up first. Move back if you're pushed too hard. I'm expecting this fight to take a while, so don't run yourself into the ground immediately."
Josh nods his head while looking me dead in the eyes.
Not wanting to leave anything to chance, I use all my bonus points. After the battle, I can always just purchase a new skill and drop my stats again. I dump fifty points into strength, fifty into endurance, and fifty into agility bringing each up to around one hundred. The last twenty points are added into the vitality stat, bringing my hp up to one hundred sixteen points. I take a deep breath as a wave of power fills my limbs.
'BRRAAACKK!'
As if on cue, the Behemoth makes its displeasure known. Josh tightens his grip on his sword and steps out of the mist.
'CHINNG!'
And like that, the battle resumes. The air fills with the sound of violence. I step out of the cloud of Monster's Bane and watch the fight while I catch my breath. The first thing I notice is Josh weaving between the Dracoterra's attacks. The beast swipes at the boy with its claws to draw him near its mouth to attack with its massive jaws. The whole scene looks like an elaborate dance; Josh redirects the heavy blows while creating enough room to get the occasional hit in. The equilibrium of the fight is only maintained by Scott and Sakura, who are attacking its flank viciously. After a few minutes of this routine several small wounds have been added to its body.
"Josh, Scott, switch!" They immediately respond to my orders and drop back to the mist. The purple cloud has mostly faded at this point, but the Dracoterra is still hesitant to get near it.
"We need to take out its vision." I lunge forward with my spear and aim at the behemoth's right eye. It swats my spear aside and chomps at me. I didn't expect my attack to get through, but I'm still a little disappointed. "Neji, I need you to draw its attention. I'm going to get inside its defenses."
I quickly cobble together a plan and move forward. Neji slices at one of the Dracoterra's rear legs and leaves a small wound which causes it to turn its head. I use that opportunity to dive in close to its face. It towers above me. So far, I've just been trading blows with its outstretched legs, so the sheer scale of the beast hadn't really hit me until now. I grit my teeth and put my plan into action. The earth rolls beneath my feet as earthquakes ravage the land. I can feel my feet holding themselves to the ground with the help of the Anchoring potion. It's as if invisible roots are extending down from the soles of my feet to keep me steady. Without the help of this skill, I wouldn't be able to get anywhere near this titan. I stab at its cheek to force its attention back to me. A small wound opens up above its mouth. The monster turns to me while swinging one of its massive front legs. I brace myself and thrust my spear at its right eye.
"Ironflesh!"
'WHOOMP!'
I'm sent flying a few feet after activating my skill. The world spins around me until I make contact with the ground and fall into a heap. A tremendous amount of energy leaves my body, indicating just how much power was behind that strike.
'BRRAAAAACCKKK!'
I may have taken some damage, but the pained wails of the Dracoterra tell me that my gambit was successful. I quickly pull myself up and see the behemoth flailing around wildly.
"Pull back! Let it wear itself out!" I take a stamina potion off my side and down it—a fresh wave of energy pumps through my limbs.
"Nick, are you okay?" Scott runs up to me from the last remnants of the mist still clinging to the air.
"I'm fine. Stay back here." I walk past the man in front of me and approach Josh. "How are you doing?"
"Good," Josh says without looking at me. I can see him watching the raging monster in front of him, waiting for an opening.
"Do you have a plan?" I ask. I'm a bit curious about where Josh is drawing his confidence.
"Yes."
"...Do you want to tell me what it is?"
"Yes." I look at Josh and wait for him to explain his plan. He doesn't say anything. I'm a bit confused, so I move to get his attention. As I approach, I see his eyes widen just before he shoots toward the monster.
"Josh?!" He ignores me and pulls his sword back over his head to prepare an attack. It's unusual to see him take such an aggressive stance, considering how defensively he normally fights.
'BOOSH!'
The ground heaves in a throw of violence. The Dracoterra's movements, in conjunction with its various spells, liquefy the terrain. The whole area rocks apart from its wrath. With a deftness I've never seen, Josh jumps along the uneven terrain with his sword raised above his head. Once he's a short distance away from the monster, he jumps up in the air