A ship traveled across the ocean at high speeds. A young man stood on its bow. With black armor and a handsome face, he looked towards the horizon, his hands behind his back.
A large black hat sat on top of his head. It was the reward he got from the last quest. Final Fend liked it a lot, although it was purely cosmetic.
The rest of the party sat on some barrels around the steering wheel, observing Captain Huber at work.
Suddenly Final Fend frowned, glancing to the side. He seemed to feel something in the water. Taking a step forward he supported himself on the railing, taking a closer look.
"Ah!"
With a shout he reeled back. The image of an enormous shadow was branded in his mind.
The party members were startled by Final Fend's actions, focusing their eyes on him.
Balm snickered to herself when Silver Blade joked with her brother:
"Oh? Done acting cool?"
"Sis!", exclaimed Final Fend annoyedly. "There is something in the water!"
"Oh really…? That's called fish."
"You…!"
The party couldn't help but laugh seeing Final Fend grit his teeth. But they stopped when Captain Huber spoke in a solemn voice:
"It's those damn monsters again! Now we will see if your magic circle worked! Brace yourselves!"
The atmosphere suddenly turned tense. The sailors could be seen grabbing onto the ship tightly. The party didn't know what to do, mimicking the sailors.
For a moment the ship fell silent. The water rhythmically hitting against its hull added to the tense atmosphere.
Suddenly!
A loud splash could be heard. Waves rose high, rocking the ship. A majestic back full of blue scales, its length rivaling even the most impressive warships, rose from the ocean.
Time seemed to stand still as this breathtaking scene fell into everyone's eyes. But a moment later the creature disappeared into the deep. The ocean returned to silence as if everything was just an illusion.
Huber waited a few seconds before breathing deeply in relief.
"Good job, adventurers. The monster didn't notice us thanks to your work."
Silver Blade was surprised by the genuine praise. But this was all the captain was willing to say, returning to the steering wheel and directing the ship away from this area.
Soon an island came into view. On the open sea it was difficult to tell, but now that the island enlarged quickly in their vision, the party noticed that the ship's speed was clearly illogical.
It only took them a minute to cross large swaths of water. Naturally no one complained. Who wanted to spend multiple game days travelling the ocean?
Thanks to the game's help, the ship soon stopped in the vicinity of Red'or Island. The party scanned the piece of land before them. It was rather small, with broad sandy coasts and a primitive jungle, which was surprisingly rather thin.
In the center of the island stood a single large hill with a strange, pointed form.
Bloody Edge frowned watching the silent island:
"Something is wrong."
"Yes. I'm getting a strange vibe.", agreed Silver Blade.
Watchful Eye scanned the island and its surroundings.
"Could it be that there is not a single living thing here?"
The others shuddered hearing his words. But at this moment a sailor waved at them:
"The dinghy is ready! I can bring you on land!"
"Whatever it is, we will find out. Let's go guys."
Silver Blade took the lead, stepping into the small dinghy. When all party members entered, the small boat was extremely crowded.
But no one feared that they might capsize. This was still a game after all.
The sailor also didn't say anything, doing his job and ferrying the party across the last bit of ocean.
Getting off the boat, the party felt the soft sand under their feet. The sun shone brightly, spending a comfortable heat. Final Fend took a deep breath of the clean air.
"Feels like vacation. It's not that scary anymore."
"You are right. I feel like throwing a towel onto the sand and taking a nap.", agreed Braag.
But suddenly, a noise came from behind the party. Water splashed, followed by a strange dragging sound.
The party members flinched, turning around quickly, their mouths opening in disbelief.
"What… is this?!", whispered Balm.
The watched as several black bodies pushed out of the water. They were about the height of a human's calf, with thick black carapace and six sturdy legs. Dark blue fins laid on the sides of their bodies.
Their strangely round heads bit into a fish at least ten times their size, working together to draw it on land.
A slightly bigger one of the creatures seemingly felt something. It let go of the prey, abruptly turning its body, staring at the players. Its round black eyes emitted an intense hunger.
Silver Blade reacted immediately, urging her party while using [Inspect].
"Careful! Get ready for a fight!"
[Maritim Ferocious Ant Vanguard
Rank: Elite
Level: 20
HP: 3700/3700]
The party members immediately drew their weapons. Bloody Edge went into stealth. Silver Blade and Final Fend built the frontline. Fortune began to cast.
Meanwhile the sailor who brought them on land behaved as if he didn't notice anything, standing by his boat, waiting until the party wanted to return to the ship.
The ant elite let out a strange snicker. Instantly all the other ants let go of their prey, staring at the party. Two frail looking ants stayed in the back while the others rushed towards the party.
Suddenly the rattling of a chain could be heard. A sharp but short sword shot through the air, attached to a sturdy chain which was held in a dark glove.
Silver Blade glanced at her brother. Although he had already told her about his class, this was the first time she saw it in action.
Final Fend was a Flameblade, a class popular among Avaiarner, which is what the humans living in the norther desert are called. Their name stems from the mighty archmage Avia, who led a part of the human ancestors towards the north a long time ago.
Flameblades were a class focusing on controlling the battlefield. They could reluctantly take on the role of a tank and were also feared for their fire damage.
Final Fend was quite happy with his class, eager to prove his prowess to the rest of the party.
Thus, his first attack immediately aimed at the elite. His chainblade slammed into the thick black carapace, causing the ant to stagger.
[-157!]
The elite was quickly overtaken. Three black insects arrived before the party. Silver Blade didn't wait to be outdone by her brother. She activated her skill [Luring Barrier].
A bright, blueish barrier suddenly condensed before the party. It was a few meters in diameter, shielding everyone behind it.
The barrier emitted a strange magic, attracting the opponents' attention. The three ants turned their heads towards Silver Blade, slamming their bodies into the barrier.
"Now guys, attack! Get rid of the small ones first!"
Boom!
[-288!]
[-95!]
[-95!]
A small explosion erupted in front of Silver Blade, damaging all three ants. Braag smiled proudly, noticing Balm glancing at the bomb launcher in his hand, which looked somewhat like a smaller version of a ship cannon.
But there was no time to be complacent. Bloody Edge suddenly appeared behind the ants attacking Silver Blade, his daggers flashing with a blinding light.
[-698!]
[-496!]
Braag's face froze looking at the enormous damage dealt by Bloody Edge. However, the latter didn't know how Braag felt. He was still dissatisfied as his attack didn't crit.
"Careful!"
A loud yell suddenly shook Bloody Edge. His instinct screamed at him. Without looking he threw his body to the side.
Bloody Edge groaned as a condensed ball of water exploded against his leg. But the pain was quickly replaced by disbelief seeing the damage he received.
[-1001!]
More than a third of his HP were gone in an instant.
"Typical glass cannon.", murmured Final Fend to himself.
Silver Blade was the only one who heard her brother. But as the party leader she didn't comment, instead shouting orders.
"Careful! Those ranged ants have magic attacks!
Bloody Edge, play around me! Balm, regeneration!"
"Yes!"
"On it!"
[+528!]
Bloody Edge already felt much better when the first regeneration tick came in.
Silver Blade looked at it in surprise, wondering if her reaction was too hasty. But she quickly shook off her doubts, focusing on the fight.
Her barrier was about to come to an end. Cracks formed on its surface. Suddenly it exploded in a fierce shockwave, washing over the ants.
[-101!]x3
Some damage was dealt dependent on her magical defense attribute. But the main use of the skill was to focus all aggro on her.
Five pairs of eyes focused on Silver Blade. Only the elite was still facing Final Fend.
The three melee ants moved quickly. Opening their eerily big mouths they bit at Silver Blade.
The tank hastily brought her shield in the way, her arm trembling from the impact.
[Stance -16]x3