The first mini-boss
1102 Words
The crowing sound grew louder, there was a rustle of leaves as branches snapped on either side and the birds flew off in panic. Charging through the trees, the Cockatrice emerged from the forest.
The hybrid was over 9 feet tall with shiny green feathers covering its upper body and thin fish-like scales on its lower half. It had the head of a rooster, but its legs were thick and muscular. A long green tail stretched out from its lower half and, instead of talons, it had large beast-like paws.
“I’ll take point! Chief, I need you to back me up!” Aaron jumped in front and readied his Deer Horn Knives. None of his fire-based skills would be effective here, so he had no other option but to rely on his basic attacks.
Nashoba stepped up to stand beside Aaron, with his special spear ready in his right hand, while Mawanko pulled out his sling. Kawasha wanted to join the fray as well, but Aaron stopped him.
“Kawasha, you’re a tracker. You have to stay in the backline and protect Zach while he uses is supportive skills.”
“But I can help!”
“No, you can’t. Let Aaron take the lead. He knows what he’s doing,” Zach butted in. Channelling his Aquamancer powers, he took a few steps back.
“Here we go! Get his attention, Mawanko!”
Aaron took the left side while Nashoba attacked from the right. As the two of them charged at the hybrid, Mawanko used his Iron Shot skill to launch a charged projectile at the enemy. The slingshot had terribly low damage, and even with the Iron Shot skill applied, the projectile ricocheted off the hybrid’s toughened scales.
“Aim higher! You won’t be able to penetrate its lower body!” Aaron shouted.
Once more Mawanko used his slingshot, but this time he targeted the Cockatrice’s neck. As the sharp stone hit the hybrid, it crowed in pain and turned its attention towards the hunter. Aaron and Nashoba took full advantage of this distraction and closed the distance. They went directly for its legs.
The chief kept poking the hybrid with his spear, while Aaron launched a series of rapid slashes with his knives. Their attacks managed to break off the scales protecting it, but they weren’t powerful enough to penetrate the hide.
“Damn it! I need more damage!” Aaron shrieked, tearing at the Cockatrice.
“I got you, bro!” Zach pointed his fingers at Aaron and exclaimed aloud, “Elemental Enchantment: Aqua Blades!” He then quickly turned to Nashoba and shouted, “Elemental Enchantment: Aqua Spear!”
Blessed with the buff, both their weapons flashed blue and became imbued with the water element. Aaron and Nashoba looked at each other and then re-commenced their attack. This time, their attacks cut right through the Cockatrice’s dragon hide. It crowed in pain and started stomping the ground with its large legs. Aaron and the chief had to carefully dodge the attacks while sneaking in the occasional counter attack. They coordinated their hits perfectly and eventually weakened the beast enough to stagger it for a few seconds. Aaron quickly plunged his knives deep into its thighs.
“You’re f*****g dead now!”
Just as Aaron was about to activate his ability, the monster looked up and screeched. The high-pitched scream was a special skill which stunned both Aaron and the chief. They fell on their knees, covering their ears with their hands.
The Cockatrice used this chance to back away. Instead of continuing the fight on the ground, it flapped its large green wings and took to the skies.
“God damn it!” Zach cried out. “We lost our chance. Now we’re all gonna get screwed.”
Aaron slowly recovered from the stun effect and helped Nashoba get back up. The screech attack had not only stunned him, but also applied a debuff on him. He checked his Z-band to see the following effect applied.
[*Status Effects and conditions*]
[Status Effect: Disoriented]
[Debuff applied: 1. Attack reduction]
[Debuff applied: 2. Accuracy reduction]
With his lowered damage, his basic attacks had no chance of penetrating the hybrid’s thick skin, even with the enchantment applied to his weapon. Aaron looked up at the Cockatrice hovering overhead and warned the others to take cover. It was flying around in circles, waiting for the perfect moment to pick off its prey.
“What do we do now?” Nashoba asked.
“We can’t do anything while it’s airborne. We have to find a way to bring it down.”
Mawanko tried his best to use his slingshot and hit the monster, but he kept missing. “The great bird flies too fast. I cannot aim properly.”
“Even if you could, I doubt your sling attack has the range to target something so far away,” Aaron replied. “We need a high accuracy ranged attack which can hit things far away.”
“I can do it,” Nashoba quickly cut in.
“How?”
“My spear is enchanted with the blessings of my ancestors. It can travel far if I want it to.”
“Alright, this is the time to show your skill, chief.”
Nashoba gave a firm nod and took aim with his spear. He followed the Cockatrice’s movement and calculated the perfect trajectory to throw his weapon. “Ancestral Blessing: Supreme Warrior!”
Activating his special ability, the chief broke off into a run and threw his spear at the enemy. It whizzed through the air, but narrowly missed the hybrid’s head. The Cockatrice was quick to react. It shrieked and swooped down. Aaron rolled over to the side, but Nashoba was caught off balance. The Cockatrice sprayed him with its venomous breath, before flying off again.
In seconds, the Cayuga chief’s skin turned a pale blue and he felt a sudden dizziness. His whole body shook feverishly and he struggled to keep himself upright.
“Father!” Kawasha rushed in and caught Nashoba in his arms, just as his legs gave in. “Please father! You have to get up!”
Aaron clenched his fists and cursed under his breath. He knew he should have anticipated the possibility of the Cockatrice getting airborne. If he had planned better, he could have prevented this from happening. With Nashoba poisoned, they had lost their only hope of knocking the Cockatrice out of the sky. And as long as it remained airborne, neither Aaron nor Zach had any chance of dealing damage to it.
- Writer
