Vol. 4: Chapter 9
In truth, Hazel's assault was more effective than it looked. With every use of her [Shield Bash]—an ability that dealt damage equal to her total armor value on a ten-second cooldown—she had already chipped away twenty or thirty million of the boss's health. Given enough time, she might have actually been able to solo the thing.
But time was a luxury they didn't have. Kael had given every team a hard deadline: three and a half hours to clear their path. She couldn't afford to grind it out slowly.
At that moment, jolted back to their senses, the nine other team members scrambled to their feet, stuffing their Gwent cards away with guilty expressions. To make up for their negligence, they unleashed a torrent of their most powerful spells on Tidehowler.
Pyroblasts, Chain Lightning, Fire Javelins, Ice Shards, Frostbind...
-2033 (Frostbind, attack speed slowed)
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-8256
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...
A single volley of spells shaved off over seventy thousand of the boss's health. Tidehowler's HP bar began to plummet.
When its health hit the 40-million mark, Tidehowler suddenly shot into the air and let out a piercing howl. Its cry grew increasingly shrill as its body swelled, ballooning from the size of a fox to that of a whale. Its fur, no longer soft, stood on end like sharp quills, and its color shifted from pure white to a vibrant, unsettling pink. Even the flowers in the cavern grew more vivid, their colors deepening to match the beast's new hue.
Tidehowler shook its massive body, sending a cloud of fine pink dust into the air. The particles seemed to move with a mind of their own, drifting purposefully toward the players.
Lunara remembered Kael’s briefing and screamed, "Magic shields up! Everyone get clear of Hazel!"
But it was already happening. A fog seemed to cloud Hazel’s eyes, and she began swinging her hammer erratically. She wasn't the only one. As the pink dust settled on the others, a cloying sweetness filled their senses, and their expressions went blank. The mages and priests stopped casting, instead gripping their staves like clubs and blindly attacking whoever was closest.
-595 (HP Damage)
-595 (Shield Absorption)
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...
After five long seconds, the haze lifted and they regained control. Hazel immediately re-engaged the boss while the others resumed their spell rotations.
That attack was Tidehowler's signature crowd control ability: [Mass Hysteria].
[Mass Hysteria]: Causes all enemies to lose control and attack the nearest target for 5 seconds.
Kael had planned for this. He had specifically stacked Hazel’s team with an all-mage lineup. While all nine were fragile, they had virtually zero physical attack power. As long as they kept their distance from Hazel's hammer, they were in no real danger from each other.
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And just like that, a devastating five-second CC ability was effectively neutered. Thank God the tank was Hazel. A lesser tank would have been obliterated by Tidehowler's magic damage without five seconds of healing.
From then on, the team paid much closer attention to their positioning. The priest, in particular, was terrified, trembling every time she had to move in to rebuff Hazel, half-expecting to get a hammer to the face for her trouble.
The cooldown on [Mass Hysteria] was short—only fifteen seconds. Factoring in the five-second duration, it meant they only had a ten-second window to deal damage. Their DPS uptime was effectively cut by a third, drastically slowing their progress.
When the boss’s health finally dropped to 15 million, it unleashed an entirely new type of magic:
[Abyssal Domain]
It was a field-effect spell. In an instant, the entire cavern was submerged, the environment shifting to that of the deep sea.
Immediately, a [Suffocating] debuff appeared on their screens. A timer started counting down.
20
19
18
Each player could hold their breath for twenty seconds. After that, they would enter a [Drowning] state. Drowning wasn't a simple damage-over-time tick; it ripped away 20% of a player's maximum health every second. Even Hazel would be dead in five seconds under that effect.
"Potions, now! Drink the [Gills Potion]!" Lunara yelled in the party chat. Kael had insisted they each bring an extra one, specifically for this moment.
They fumbled in their bags for the vials. But before they could drink, pink currents swirled through the water, enveloping them. Tidehowler was casting [Mass Hysteria] again.
The CC delayed them for several precious seconds. Finally, it wore off, and they all managed to down their potions. The [Suffocating] icon vanished.
In its new aquatic domain, Tidehowler was even deadlier. Its attack speed and casting speed were noticeably faster. Not only that, but some of its spells began to mutate, gaining increased power or a wider area of effect.
Fortunately, the boss's aggro was still locked onto Hazel, allowing the others to continue their assault from a safe distance. But now, for the first time, Hazel's health bar began to drop. It was slow, but it was finally moving, giving the anxious priest something to heal.
Lunara kept her eyes glued to the boss's health, barking out commands.
"Eldwyn, heal Hazel and get back immediately, don't linger!"
"Eira, keep the frost spells coming, we need that slow!"
"Lexi, ditch the fire spells, your damage is garbage in the water, can't you see that?"
"Watch the boss's health, everyone! We're almost at 10 million!"
She then focused on Hazel. "Hazel, get ready. Swap to the dagger Dawnbreaker gave you."
To her shock, Hazel refused. "We can kill it, Lunara," she shot back. "We don't need to waste the dagger."
A spike of panic shot through Lunara. "Hazel, listen to me! Use the dagger now! The boss can still wipe us at this health!"
Hazel, apparently still fuming over being abandoned earlier, ignored her. She continued to doggedly swing her hammer.
And then, the fight fell apart.
Tidehowler had the [Mage-Hate] modifier. Hazel had built up a massive threat lead, allowing the mages to DPS freely. But now, their cumulative damage had reached a tipping point. The aggro tables were shifting.
Suddenly, Tidehowler gathered a sphere of water in its mouth and fired it like a cannonball.
The target wasn't Hazel. It was a mage named Lyanna.
Seeing it, Lunara shrieked, "Lyanna, Ice Block! Everyone else, spread out!"
But it was too late. The words had barely left her lips when the water cannon struck Lyanna.
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A one-shot kill. The priest, Eldwyn, who had been standing too close, was killed in the blast as well.
In the next instant, lightning crackled around Tidehowler's paws as it prepared another spell. Lunara knew its next target would almost certainly be another mage. Against a [Mage-Hate] boss, once a caster pulled aggro, it was nearly impossible for a tank to get it back.
She knew that in this moment, nothing else mattered. Victory hinged on Hazel. In the heat of the crisis, Lunara didn't bother directing the other terrified teammates. She focused everything on her tank.
"Hazel!" she pleaded, her voice cracking. "Are you going to ignore what Dawnbreaker told you to do, too?"
Hazel’s eyes widened in an instant, a look of realization flashing across her face.