Book 5. Chapter 35: Elite Danger

Book 5. Chapter 35: Elite Danger

The elite in Tandas lane showed up with the wave of automatons. Their large party had already backed away from the attacking tower to take them on, when they spotted its approach in the distance.

It zipped through the air at impressive speeds, its agility as it moved about the air surprising. It was a humanoid hornet, with a floating green gem following it. As the ranks of automatons met the auril heroes, it sent a cyclone of wind at Seamus, who was closest to the edge of the formation.

Jasminas song echoed out as Seamus shielded himself with his shimmering yellow auril. The attack wasnt overly powerful, and the shield held, but it was reminiscent of a weaker version of the Garudas cyclonic strike attack.

Tanda and Rookard both attempted to snipe the creature out of the sky, but its agility and speed was impressive, dodging their shots with ease. It changed direction on a dime, and was even more agile than Ophelia when using her [Ride of the Valkyries] by herself.

Its top speed was seemingly much less, but short of lightning or a beam of light, it was easy to imagine it being next to impossible for them to strike with their bows.

The creature was mostly just annoying, dipping in and out of range as the automatons fought the auril heroes. Its strange gem and itself drew in air and wind for its very attacks, and it was as if it could continue fighting forever.

Seamus attempted to blast it with his sunlight beam, but it simply blocked the beam with a shield of wind, as it strafed away from his attack. Bedwyr chased after it on his mount, but he just got countered by cutting winds, and even a shot of the hornets stinger like a ranged attack. This attack was shorter range than the creature usually kept, and another thing to look out for.

Still, they defeated the wave of monsters, and pushed forward on the tower with their large entourage. Bree would take the blows of the tower once again, her able to quickly replenish her vine shield and take the blows with her hearty body.

The auril running through her was of a substantial quality and quantity when enhanced by Jasminas song, and made her capable of taking the attacks safely.

The auril heroes, Bedrywr and Morwen, all did their best to attack the tower while also discouraging the hornets harassment. Beams of light from Seamus, splashes of water from Darris, and a cold aura coming from Bedwyr and Morwen kept the creature somewhat at bay.

It shot tornados and odd wind bullets at the Battlegroup. Auril barriers flickered into place, or bones from Morwens Bone Shields protected the various members.

Despite its harassment, Tanda and the auril heroes were able to make extreme headway on the tower itself. Her ballista bolt-like arrows pierced heavily into the tower, packing quite the punch when combined with her auril.

They planned for taking out the creature, as it looked like it would require intense coordination to catch it.

Meanwhile, Jakes party was making decent headway against their tower. Drysanders wives focused on repairing his vines as he blocked the towers shots and attacked with his tree club, and Timone, Dahlia, Jake and Ophelia added their powerful blows as well.

Jakes hearthblade especially did a fair amount of work, each swing of his weapon taking off a noticeable chunk of the towers health. Having already defeated the elites in the left lane, Fhesiah and Bloodberri too wailed on their tower with Longwei and Yiming.

It was when the next wave of enemies was in view that Aislings eyes shifted to all white. Look out, Drysander!

Ira cried out in alarm, finally detecting the enemy. Jake hastily gathered his hearth flames around Drysander using [Sacrificial Barrier] once more, as a massive creature erupted from the ground, smashing into him.

It looked like a giant, ugly man covered in stone armor, some sort of earthen hill troll wielding a stone club. As the shield shattered, the immense momentum behind its odd uppercut from the ground was slowed drastically.

Still, its stone club slammed into Drysander, sending him and his dryads tumbling through the air. They were strapped into his boughs, however, so they had no issues continuing with their regrowth of his vines.

Jake was going to lay into the creature further, but Iras alarm was not from this monster. It was from another, which had still not presented itself. It was the reason Ira couldnt warn them sooner.

Timones ravens rapidly began hitting the stone troll, which caused the tower to switch over to him, before his mates joined him attacking the stone troll with their bows.

Attacking these elites grabbed the ire of the tower over the first that entered its range, and Timone and Dahlia were ready with their auril. Timone activated his Templar skill, which granted a black barrier, as he dived in to take on the troll with his mate.

Dahlias spear filled with light then met the trolls club, and Jake prepared his hearth flames, compressing them as Timones own charge pierced into the trolls stone-like leg with his spear.

Ophelias hearth guardian pierced the troll with its spear as well, while Drysander recovered and began stomping toward the enemy with his tree club. The next wave of automatons arrived and swarmed the party, Ophelia releasing a [Vajrafire Consecration] and taking them on with the help of Valora.

Righteous flames and lightning covered the ten melee automatons and the troll, and even washed over and damaged the tower from Jakes echo released. As if waiting for this singular moment, a creature from the void appeared, swinging at Drysanders boughs.

Jake stumbled forward as the creatures odd armor fell to the ground and disappeared into motes of light.

The troll lashed out at Ophelia with its massive club, knocking her back, but glowed green and spun at Jake. Its large stone club loomed over him, but Drysanders vines wrapped around the trolls arm, and he blocked the attack with his tree club. More vines grew around the troll from his dryad wives, and Nadessa sent out another bolt of lightning.

Timone and his many ravens caught up to and pierced into the restricted troll, as it fought its bindings. Ophelias Hearth Guardian sent the healing flames of renewal into Jake, revitalizing the damage done to his arm as she stabbed and slashed into the troll from behind.

A fierce leap from Dahlia pierced deeply into the trolls skull, finally causing the creature to collapse in a heap. As Timones deathly ravens continued to consume its flesh, it disbursed into motes of light a moment later.

The tower still fired at Timone, but he built up ravens and Jakes Aura of Heavenly Flames aided in blocking the towers shots. The party now laid into the tower, knowing that elites could no longer show up. Only the hornet was left alive, and alone, it was little more than a nuisance.

Jake had taken some wounds, but the main difficulty in dealing with the enemy was the surprise attack, not knowing what they were capable of. Now that they knew what they were dealing with, even if the creatures grew a little stronger, the next fights would be much easier for them to manage.

The party moved to take on the tower, finishing off the wave of automatons. Recharging the Hearth Guardian, it helped Timone take the blows of the tower. It only took a little over a minute of Timone taking the orb-like shots of the tower, before the tower was destroyed.

Bloodberri and Fhesiahs tower fell only a moment before, and as Tandas got low, they moved in on their plan to kill the hornet.

Vesuvius had grown to his maximum height, becoming nearly five meters tall, and nearly as wide. Holding out his glaive, Roxo jumped onto it.

As Vesuvius swung his glaive, Roxo leaped and flipped, holding his swords. Spinning vertically like a top, his red blades sent waves of slashing energy as he flew at the hornet.

The monster countered with a tornado from its gem and made to move away, but Seamus fired a beam of light, and Rookard sent several auril-enhanced shots with his bow, his wolves flying through the air at the enemy.

Seamuss beam seared the hornets carapace, and even managed to clip one of the four wings, since its ability to defend itself was busy with stopping the flying raptor.

It managed to dodge Rookards shots, but he kept the creature from changing its course overly much as it evaded his spread-out attacks. Tanda managed to clip another of its wings and damage much of its torso with a bite of the wolf, and it moved to a full retreat. Roxo sailed harmlessly to the ground, the creature having already dodged his attack.

The creature was slower now, and Tanda chased after it, trying to cut off its retreat.

The tower was destroyed not long after. A new path had opened up between the first and second towers, connecting the lanes and allowing movement for the elite monsters.

From what Jake could tell, this path was not overly useful for the enemyas long as the Alliance kept up its assault and didnt retreat. If they retreated from a lane to regroup, the elites could gathersomething this hornet was trying to do right now.

Tandas efforts forced it down the new path, the creature only barely being able to deflect and dodge her attacks.

Ophelia smiled, then activated her [Ride of the Valkyries]. Valoras wings grew out, as she blazed forward and headed to the other side of the forest opening, between the towers.

She was just in time. The hornet was heading their way, likely to try to join the other elites when they respawned, as well as heal from the damage it took.

Seeing a powerful enemy coming, its gem moved in front of it and created a barrier. Ophelias vajrafire lightning slammed into the turbulent winds from the gem, and the hornet took some evasive movements.

Ophelia then pushed her effect even further by increasing the lightning firing from her core, as Valora charged closer to the hornet and the lightning pierced toward the hornet.

Her halberd at the ready, she unleashed a [Vajra Strike] at the shield of wind. Lightning directly struck and stunned the monster through it, allowing Ophelia to then pierce into the creature, her hunt easily completed.

The path opened, and Jake called for a changing of the lanes. Drysander and the dryads would switch with Morwen and Bedwyrs team in the middle lane. Nadessas lightning combined with Seamuss light and Drysanders vines should make dealing with the hornet even easier.

Jake was a bit worried about Morwen and her priestesses against the void creature, but Ophelia would make the creature work for it. Then, Tanda switched with Fhesiah to face off against the artillery focused foes.

He used Call Summon to move Fhesiah to the middle, allowing them to get to the other lanes quickly. The elites would respawn every few minutes, just enough time for them to make a bit of progress on the second ring of towers.

When the elites came this time, they would be ready for them.