A murmur ran through the group as Silver Blade lost almost half her HP.
"Don't let her attack me again! Everyone needs to defend once!"
"Alright!"
The group never stopped attacking. The weaker elite's HP were almost running out.
Suddenly the pirate gritted her teeth shouting dangerously:
"Die! You landlubbers!"
The two pirates looked at each other, about to distance themselves from the fight. Liam narrowed his eyes. He had been waiting for this moment.
"Stay here!"
Suddenly Liam used his skill. With a [Sidestep] he flashed behind the elites, reaching the perfect position for a [Brutal Strike].
The veteran grabbed his sword with two hands. Building momentum with his entire body he forcefully brought it down on the elite's head.
[Stun 1second]
Osick's right hand stopped in place, holding her head. But Osick's left hand wasn't held back. With a smooth move she suddenly fled a few meters.
Liam knew what was about to come. He let Osick's right hand for his team to finish off as he swiftly closed the distance to the other elite.
Fortunately, Silver Blade proved awareness of the situation, directing everyone to get rid of the pirate.
At this moment Osick's left hand pulled a weapon out of thin air. It looked like a small version of a ship's cannon, its opening steaming ominously.
"Go to hell!"
Boom!
A deafening sound rang out as a small black bomb shot out. Liam gritted his teeth seeing the explosive coming towards him.
His body tensed, his sword held before him in defense.
Boom!
The ground trembled as a large explosion went off. Sparks flew through the air, black steam rising.
Flames and shockwaves spread, reaching the party, even dealing a few points of damage.
Everyone understood that if the attack reached them unimpeded, the damage would've been catastrophic.
"Oh no, Bleary Mirage!"
Cyclone looked at the center of the explosion in worry. As the vision cleared, a man covered in black dirt appeared.
He looked weak on his legs, small fires burning around him.
"What are you waiting for? Entangle the elite!"
Liam yelled urgently. Blocking the elite's skill took away his entire stance and still robbed him of a few dozen HP. He couldn't defend against the elite in this state.
Fortunately, Silver Blade reacted instantly, dashing past the battered warrior and attracting the elite's attention.
With the main damage source gone, the subsequent fight didn't hold any more surprises. Silver Blade and Radiant Shield did well in juggling the aggro until Osick's left hand finally fell.
"Puh, we did it."
"Well done, guys."
The players congratulated each other after a difficult fight. As they recovered, Cyclone stared at Liam, eventually not able to hold back her laughter.
"Hahaha, you look so funny!"
Liam rolled his eyes. Blocking the skill had temporarily altered his appearance. But it should return to normal in a few minutes.
"Your hair looks like from a cartoon!", exclaimed Balm.
"So much soot. Maybe you should go wash real quick."
"No, stay like this, maybe the boss runs away by itself."
Liam shook his head. He grinned, reaching out his hand towards the elite.
"Keep making fun of me. In the meantime, I will enjoy looting the elites."
"No!"
The party members chuckled amusedly as Cyclone dove forward, grabbing the elite like a goalkeeper.
This round of looting revealed a few more green-magic items, preparing the group for the upcoming fight.
Cyclone was finally able to change her wand, boosting her damage.
Noticing that everyone was ready, Silver Blade looked at Liam.
"Mirage, can you tell us what to expect?"
Liam knew that the upcoming fight would be impossible without his assistance. After all, he had already prepared for it in the morning.
Thus, he revealed some information to Silver Blade.
"Our opponent is the pirate captain Osick. He draws power from the trident and will be too difficult for us to fight.
Thus, when the fight starts you need to juggle aggro perfectly. Everyone but our mages has to defend once.
I will do something to cut the connection.
After he is weakened you can fight regularly."
"Thanks.
You all heard it, right? Don't save your health potions. Give it all you've got!"
"Yeah!"
The prospect of defeating a boss excited everyone. Liam decided not to reveal to them that Osick couldn't be considered a boss enemy.
The party lined up behind Silver Blade, walking up the stairs to the right.
They reached a large wooden platform. A thin, tall man, his skin surprisingly pale came into view. He lazed around on a throne made from all kinds of stone found in the ocean.
A crooked crown sat atop his head; a blue armor made from flowing water covering his body.
At the center of his chest sat a suspicious blue crystal.
Faint mist hung over the platform, coming from the rushing waterfall to the right.
Behind the man an impressive pirate ship drifted on the ocean, the sun reflecting from the waves.
Silver Blade signaled everyone to spread along the edge of the platform, while inspecting the pirate captain.
[Pirate Captain Osick
Rank: Lord
Level: 15
HP: ???
Skill 1: ???
Skill 2: ???
Skill 3: ???
A vicious pirate captain. Appearing out of nowhere he terrorizes the surrounding coasts.]
Everyone was tense as they looked at the information. Although the pirate captain was no boss enemy, he was far beyond the current party.
"Look, look, look. What did the waves wash ashore?
So weak, yet you made it here? My subordinates are really incompetent.
Well, then I will have to finish you off personally."
The pirate captain spoke with a high voice not matching the tense atmosphere. Standing up slowly, a vague pressure spread.
Osick grinned, gripping the pale blue saber next to his throne.
His other hand went to his chest, touching the blue crystal.
At this moment the air stirred. Walls of water rose, blocking the stairs. Even the ocean moved faintly. An illusionary blue line connected Osick to somewhere up the waterfall.
"Witness the might of Osick, the king of pirates!"
Osick laughed excitedly as he flashed, quickly appearing before Radiant Shield.
"Careful everyone!"
[Stance -30]
The tank's body trembled. Most of his stance was gone in one hit.
And this wasn't all. With Osick's attack, water splashed towards the surroundings, prompting Cyclone to evade hastily.
"Don't let him reach the mages!"
The fight started suddenly. Liam directly took out Refresnim's dark orb of flight. Wings spread behind his body, carrying him into the air.
Everyone including Osick looked at Bleary Mirage in surprise.
But the pirate captain wasn't distracted for long, swinging his saber at Quickstep who brazenly attacked him.
Liam hoped that his party would survive as he flew higher and higher.
A few seconds later he plunged into the waterfall, following the line originating from Osick.
Liam's feathery wings weren't affected by the water due to their magical nature. They allowed him to safely reach a narrow cave behind the waterfall.
Blue dots of light floated in their air. They originated from the water, coerced by the mysterious trident standing upright in the center of the cave.
The light reflected from the walls, creating a serene atmosphere.
But Liam had no time to admire the scenery. He drew his sword and quickly hacked at a few blue crystals scattered around the trident.
The crystals burst apart. The light dimmed gradually.
Eventually Liam got rid of all five crystals.
"You dare!"
An angry shout came from the ground. The rest of the party watched as the line originating from Osick faded, his armor disappearing and his body turning listless.
Silver Blade inspected the pirate captain again.
[Pirate Captain Osick
Rank: Lord
Level: 8
HP: 2200/2200
Skill 1: [Passive] Osick deals water attributed splash damage with each of his attacks as long as he draws power from the trident.
Skill 2: ???
Skill 3: ???
Status: Weakened, Dazed
A vicious pirate captain. Appearing out of nowhere he terrorizes the surrounding coasts.]
"Quick! Attack with all you got!"
Silver Blade's shout woke up her teammates. Seeing that Osick didn't move, they unleashed everything.
[-91!]
[-60!]
[-79!]
[-48!]
The magic damage arrived first, shaving off a good amount of HP.
"Well done!"
"Continue!"
Silent Acacia didn't have to face Osick directly yet, so he wasn't able to build up fury. He could only continue with normal attacks.
[-40!]
The young thief smiled smugly. His damage was alright compared to the other physical attackers.
Suddenly a shadow fell on the platform. Liam made use of the bit of time left from his item to descend, striking Osick squarely in the head.
[-28!]
Liam frowned, not satisfied with his damage. But he knew as well that the only reason his party was able to face of against Osick was because of the weakened state.
Under normal circumstances it wasn't possible to fight a lord enemy with this much level difference.
However, at this moment Osick shook off his dazed state.
"You all will pay for this!"
The pirate captain bellowed angrily as he swung his saber at Liam.
Watching the blue streak flash at him, Liam's chest tightened. He threw himself to the ground, barely able to evade.