Chris
A sharp groan escaped my lips as the Boss hamred down on for what felt like the millionth ti. With playing the tank, all of its attacks were generally aid my way.
Austin got to flit around stabbing out when the opportunity arose with nothing to hinder him.
The Boss would occasionally turn to face him instead of , but a well-placed [Shattering Hamr] or [Frozen Rift] made it focus back on .
[Shattering Hamr] was doing more internal damage than first assud, it was just taking longer to surface. Usually, the skill ripped and shredded anything in its way, but this thing was handling the skill much better than anything else I'd used it on.
[Frozen Rift] had to be used unconventionally.
The spikes and pillars it could form worked, but they weren't what worked best. From the extensive fighting, I found a few other uses for it that worked better.
Taking inspiration from Gabriel's skill [Spreading Ice], I had the skill turn into a debilitating encasent rather than an attack. Wherever the hit landed, thick sheets of Ice extended out in every direction seeking to encase the entire creature.
It usually flailed around and retaliated before too much could be covered in ice, but enough that the limb or area I hit was firmly covered and its movent impaired.
Austin would waylay the beast for a few monts following and before the thing could break out of it or break the ice off, [Shatter] sent it imploding into its skin.
A subtle, but powerful, side effect to using [Frozen Rift] like that was it pervaded the area in Arctic mana. It was similar to a much more effective and damaging [Pervading Cold].
Every subsequent hit in the sa area was more powerful and spread further than before, building on the mana that was already there rather than having to start anew.
That was until Austin ca along and burned it.
It took so... trial and error to get used to fighting together again. We both had new skills and fighting styles to get used to that neither of us had before, and there was a learning curve to get over.
Both of us used a lot more mana now which turned the elental effects much more destructive and widespread, which then caused our opposing elents to clash.
If I hit an area with Arctic mana and he then doused the area with his Solar skills, the entire exchange would be a wash. It took him using a few skills in order to overco my mana when I used [Frozen Rift] but no one was keeping track of that. No one at all.
"Look out!"
Speed wasn't my strong suit and I'd learned not to try, so instead, mana flooded into [Jotun's Resistance] and I flexed the ice around my feet. The blow landed solidly, cracking [Frost Armor] to pieces before stopping when it ca to my skin.
It hurt, the force behind the swing didn't stop at cracking my armor or denting the tal that was under it, but it wasn't enough to send flying like before.
I smiled through the pain and coppery taste in my mouth, as this was the first ti I hadn't gone flying.
Knowing it wasn't Austin's voice that called out, as he had seen get hit dozens of tis by now and wouldn't waste the energy, I turned to see Jonathan running up to us clad in a thick layer of stone.
"You're not supposed to be here Jonathan," I called.
He was responsible for making sure the Wall wasn't overrun.
"The Wall is fine. You guys need more help than they do." He called back.
Indecision warred in my mind. The Boss was strong and I wasn't sure if Jonathan would be able to tank it. It took a considerable effort on my part to not get crushed and I knew he wasn't as strong.
My thoughts didn't deter him, as he ca in swinging. His two shields weren't that effective for attacking, but they were big heavy tal slabs. Swing them hard enough and they'll cause damage. The added spikes on the leading edge helped.
In addition, he had constructions of rock that he was swinging. A rod of earth he held and slamd down on the Boss's head. The rod broke into a thousand pieces, but it got the beast's attention.
His combinations of attacks were too much to ignore for the beast and it turned away from and to the stony man.
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I hope he knows what he's doing.
Left free, my hamr ca around and I slamd it down in rapid succession on its knee. [Mighty Blow] and [Pervading Cold] augnted the blows to be more powerful but it still wasn't enough to cripple the joint.
The sounds of rock shattering and chunks of earth impacting the ground were hard to ignore as I pictured what was happening on the other side. A quick look showed multiple rows of raised earthen shields blown through but the man behind them was still up and moving.
His shields slamd together and a riot of clanging sounds exploded out keeping the Boss from turning away. The tug was only slight on and easily powered through as Jonathan's taunting skill went to work.
Without having to tank anymore, and trusting the man to hold up, I went to work with abandon. Austin too, as both hamr and spear slamd ho repeatedly. The damage was small, but it added up.
Our thinly maintained balance continued until it was tipped further in our direction.
Jets of high pressurized water cut in from afar and long extended whips cracked ho. Abigail had joined the fray from the backline.
Her hair swam in the air and turned a soft tint of blue as she burned her Bloodline the sa as everyone else. Mine was running on fus, and I assud Austin's was as well.
Jonathan seed to still be going strong as his skin still had a rocky exterior to it. A thin turtle shell covered his body and protected him from the worst of the harm.
The water caused superficial damage and so of the spray froze as my skills were still working to plunge the area into Winter. I wished to yell and tell her to back off, but I knew she wouldn't listen.
"Follow my lead!" She yelled over the sound of battle.
Not sure what she was getting at, I continued pounding away with my hamr trying to conserve what was left of my mana and energy. My Anchor was still flooding into and my Laws were still good, along with my Mana.
My Heart pumped the arcane through my blood and didn't seem to be petering out anyti soon.
It was my stamina that was lacking.
Each swing of my hamr ca slower. Each use of [Shattering Hamr] staggered further.
Abigail launched an assortnt of skills at the beast with only slightly more effectiveness than the first ti and I was still confused as to what she was getting at.
The Water cut and pumled the Boss, but it was little better than nothing.
"Chris, freeze it!"
Seeing no reason not to, I opened up my stance and reached back to gain more montum. Mana ran down my hamr and the Runes for [Frozen Rift] ca to life.
The hit stopped a few feet before impact and my intent forced another new use out of the skill. It said the Rift was connected to the lands of Endless Winter. Winter was more than just Ice and I pulled with both my Laws to get the effect I wanted.
The face of my hamr as the source, it was like a giant bellows forced Wintery air through the connection. The frigid air howled as it escaped consignnt, seeking to pervade what wasn't already cold and desolate.
It blew over with minimal damage to the beast, but all Water in the area flash-froze in a re mont.
With my task completed, the wind died down and the skill cut off before all of my mana was ripped out to keep the connection open.
"Austin, lt it!"
Austin did the sa as . He took her cue and did what he could to see it true. His light turned a shade of red instead of its usual blinding white and his spear shot out in quick succession.
The shafts of red left searing wounds but it was still only skin deep.
With the water frozen and lted, it was returned to its liquid state and another round of pressurized jets slamd ho.
"Again!"
It took a disappointing amount of ti to figure out her plan.
Her attacks cut grooves through the skin and left Water deep inside the wound. Freezing it caused it to expand and not only did the Water freeze, but so of the fluids inside the open wound as well.
Austin lted it back to liquid which Abigail then used to force it deeper into the beast with pressurized streams only for the process to repeat.
Every cycle saw the wounds grow and deepen. Blood poured out only to be reused and refrozen.
All the while Jonathan frantically threw up earthen shields and taunting roars. Not long after, boulders began raining down as the weapons lining the walls zeroed in on their target.
Others from the wall launched attacks as they were freed up to do so. The most notable of which were powerful arrows of rotating wind that drilled into the beast.
The scales turned from a tilt into a heavy slant and there was no coming back for it now.
It was only a matter of ti.
The battle was long. I knew the upgrade would be difficult, but this took the cake on difficult. I doubted many had reached this stage and I knew so probably died to it.
If one wasn't prepared, I shivered at the thought. The thought of so arrogant dick picking the upgrade for pride only to get his entire City killed. A Boss, similar to the one I was fighting now, would go rampaging through rank upon rank of people.
It was a somber thought because I knew that a scene like that was more than just likely, but certain. If not now, then eventually.
I fancied myself a powerful man, one near the highest of those around us, and I would not have been able to beat the boss alone. I would've run out of steam before the finishing blow.
This upgrade was more than just physical power. It was a test of what I had built and we had passed. Abigail's core made her a force to be reckoned with. Jonathan's resilience stood tall and unyielding.
Austin's spear was powerful and remained unbowed.
The pillars of what I had built were sturdy. Stout and strong.
It made proud. Proud that it wasn't all upon my shoulders. That I could die, and things would be okay.
The thoughts were enough to bring a tear to my eye if it hadn't frozen first.
The boss was sluggish now. Blood loss and volley after volley of attacks had taken its toll. Austin's many stabs had whittled it down, and now it was ti to end it.
Abigail's plan had opened up its unprotected insides and the wound had grown wide enough for a well-placed attack to penetrate through and I knew just the way.
Flipping my hamr around, as the spike would be more useful for what I had in mind, I prepared my mana. I didn't need anything fancy this ti with [Frozen Rift].
All I needed was for a spike to reach deep enough to hit sothing valuable.
My swing ripped through the air as over two thousand points of strength propelled it forward and my mana precipitously dropped as the lake of what was left vanished.
The glistening spike of ice pierced through blood, muscles, and whatever else was in its path before shooting out the other side, dripping with blood. A deep red that froze along the length of the spike.
The notification ca shortly after along with a cheer that could be heard from the wall.
A rush of essence accompanied the victory and another notification I hadn't expected so soon.
Another skill was available to be chosen, and I knew just the one.
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