Login 17: Crazy!
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2:19 AM, Philippine time | Asia Server
GentleBreeze charged forward towards the Slime Emperor, but the Slime Emperor wasn't stupid. The Slime Emperor once again leaped high in the air, even before GentleBreeze could do anything. Then like a shooting star, the Slime Emperor came down with a blinding speed towards BlackCandle's direction. It was just a split second, but the moment the Slime Emperor leaped into the air, GentleBreeze immediately ran back to where BlackCandle is.
There was a high probability that the Slime Emperor would be targeting BlackCandle because the last spell that it ate came from her; And it turned out Jae was right. Slimes in general are not the most brightest in the bunch, so getting damaged by another player would immediately cause it's attention to quickly change, making it a very unpredictable opponent. But for Jae, it was really easy for him to read the Slime Emperor's movements after sometime of one-on-one.
The Slime Emperor came down fast, but Jae already predicted what was going to happened next, so he reacted faster that the Slime Emperor. Before BlackCandle could be hit by the huge blob, GentleBreeze appeared in front of her, then activated 'Dragon Scales'. GentleBreeze's skin turned into dragon scales, amplifying his Physical and Magical defense to extreme proportions, making him able to withstand the Slime Emperor's attack.
Casters are widely known as very "squishy". Meaning, they are very vulnerable towards physical attacks, because of their low physical defense base stat. Which means they relatively die much faster with physical attacks, than the rest of the classes. That's why they do usually stay in the back lines. But of course what they lack in physical defense, they make up for their strong magical defense.
In this case the Slime Emperor mainly uses physical attacks, so getting hit by just one attack can be really devastating to BlackCandle. Thankfully Jae was able to react fast enough, for him to be able to block the attack.
"Ara Ara! (Oh dear!), that was very close-desu ne!" BlackCandle said with her soft voice.
"It was!" Jae said using the voice chat.
Jae eventually decided switching to voice chat since it was more convenient.
"Are you okay?" Jae asked, as GentleBreeze's turned his head, but was surprised that BlackCandle was no longer where she stood, only to find her already in front of him.
With a gentle waved of her hand, BlackCandle conjured a black energy vortex in the middle of the open field pulling the Slime Emperor towards it. As the Slime Emperor struggled to get free, BlackCandle suddenly appeared in front of it.
"Wait! Don't charge by yourself!" Jae shouted in panic when he saw BlackCandle attack by herself.
Jae maneuvered GentleBreeze towards where BlackCandle is currently having a face-to-face with the Slime Emperor. Jae's brain kept screaming at him that his party mate was crazy and reckless, only to be silenced in shock when BlackCandle took a deep puff from her pipe then blew out a thick cloud of smoke in front of her.
As the struggling Smile Emperor got enveloped by the pure white smoke, it just suddenly lost all its fight and completely stopped moving. As the skill duration of the black vortex, that continually pulled the Slime Emperor towards it, ended; The black vortex erupted, dealing damage to the Slime Emperor.
Suddenly moving again, an angry vein popped out from the Slime Emperor's head, as steam blew out from its nose and ears. Enraged, the Slime Emperor shot out like a cannon ball, swiftly heading towards BlackCandle.
"Watch out!" Jae shouted as BlackCandle was about to get hit.
But just as the Slime Emperor was about to hit BlackCandle, she suddenly disappeared, which only made the Slime Emperor more enraged and left Jae baffled. Appearing behind the Slime Emperor, BlackCandle once again blew out a thick white smoke, only this time the smoke took the form of a cat.
"Lend me your strength Neko-chan!" BlackCandle said as she pointed a finger towards the Slime Emperor.
The cat let out a loud hiss as it swiftly ran towards the Slime Emperor before pouncing with its long sharp claws. Jae actually took pity on the once cute Slime Emepror as it was relentlessly slashed on the face by the cat's sharp claws. After a few seconds of an agonizingly pitiful view, the cat stopped its onslaught of attacks. As if feeling satisfied with its work, the cat faced BlackCandle then let out a delighted *Meow*.
"ありがとう (Thank you) Neko-chan!" BlackCandle said as the cat slowly faded away.
The cat hasn't completely faded away yet, when the Slime Emperor charged at BlackCandle with blinding speed, only for it to miss when BlackCandle disappeared once again.
Jae didn't know what to feel by how gutsy BlackCandle really was, but there's one thing he was sure off, he was definitely impressed. It became immediately evident that the player behind BlackCandle isn't at all ordinary by any means. "Casters would and will always hide behind the front lines (I.e. Tanks) because of their 'squishy' nature that's just how it is and should be period", at least that's what every player believes. But BlackCandle couldn't be more different. She defied every possible stereotype there is about being a Caster and just played the way like she knows how to play, in other words it was crazy and unpredictable. GentleBreeze just dumbly stood to the side and couldn't assist BlackCandle at all, because Jae was completely blindsided by her play style. It was completely out of this world that Jae had mini heart attacks while watching her continuously fade in and out of the field.
Not wanting to be useless, Jae quickly took a breath before recalling everything that happened thus far. Having the experience of working with a Grand Magus on his previous professional career, Jae was familiar with most of the skills that BlackCandle used.
Starting with 'Night's Embrace', a skill that deals continuous damage and CC through out its duration. Then BlackCandle closed the distance between her and the Slime Emperor using 'Fade', as if knowing that the Slime Emperor couldn't hurt her. She then followed up with 'Sweet Dreams', a mid ranged skill that doesn't deal any damage but inflicts a 100% sleep effect, which helped in maximizing the damage output of 'Night's Embrace'. As the duration of 'Night's Embrace' and the sleep effect ended, the Slime Emperor snapped awake. When the Slime Emperor charged at BlackCandle, she used 'Fade' once again to dodge, then used 'Phantom Cat'.
Like being struck by a lighting, a crazy realization hit Jae. His fingers suddenly went on overdrive as he controlled GentleBreeze to join the battle.
Successfully dodging a hit from the Slime Emperor, BlackCandle used her normal attacks while keeping a safe distance between her and the Slime Emperor to chip off some of the Mob-King's health, as she waits for her skills to finish their cooldowns. While BlackCandle kept the Mob-King's aggro on her, true to his name; GentleBreeze suddenly appeared out of nowhere, like a passing night breeze. Not wanting to waste the opportunity that BlackCandle made, Jae swiftly maneuvered GentleBreeze towards the Slime Emperor. GentleBreeze used 'Dragon Soar'; spinning his spear around before swinging it upwards, launching the Slime Emperor in the air. GentleBreeze's assault didn't stop there as he leaped into the air then used 'Wyvern Tail Slam', doing a 540 twist mind air before slashing down the airborne and defenseless Slime Emperor straight to the ground at such a high speed.
"素晴らしい! (Marvelous!)" BlackCandle applauded. She was really delighted by how graceful and precise GentleBreeze's movements were. Although GentleBreeze only did a standard combo that every player in Ramapage could probably do, it was how GentleBreeze expertly executed those simple moves, making them appear more powerful and grand.
Filled by inspiration and excitement, the moment the Slime Emperor touched the ground, it was once again enveloped by black flames, as BlackCandle immediately used 'Midnight Warmth'.
The Slime Emperor wasn't called a Mob-King just for show, as it continued to fight for its life. It shot out of the towering pillars of flames and flew straight towards BlackCandle. BlackCandle used 'Fade' once again to get to safety. But what the party of two didn't expect was that the Slime Emperor suddenly swerved and shot out like a slingshot towards BlackCandle. Having just used 'Fade', there was no way that BlackCandle could avoid being hit this time.
Thankfully GentleBreeze was near where BlackCandle reappeared. GentleBreeze swiftly rushed to BlackCandle's aid. Arriving at the nick of time, GentleBreeze successfully blocked the Slime Emperor's attack with 'Dragon Scales'. Thankfully 'Dragon Scales' is a toggle activated skill, so it has a very low cooldown and could be used almost instantly. The only downside of the skill was that it ate too much mana for every second that it's activated.
Even with the protection of 'Dragon Scales', GentleBreeze was still pushed backwards when the Slime Emperor's attack made contact with him.
"Man, I don't remember Slimes being this vicious" Jae thought as he watched GeneltBreeze gets pushed back.
As GentleBreeze and the Slime Emperor continued to wrestle with each other, suddenly BlackCandle heard loud footsteps coming from the forest. BlackCandle concentrated even more and deduced that there should be at least five players rushing towards their direction.
"GentleBreeze-kun we've got visitors" BlackCandle informed
Jae silently cursed as he bit his lip. They took too long in battling the Mob-King that the former party that it was battling has finally returned.
"Let's hurry!"Jae said urgently. With the time they still have left, plus with only 10% health remaining on the Mob-King's health bar, it's not impossible for them to defeat it before the party of five arrives.
GentleBreeze used 'Wyvern Tail Sweep', knocking back the Slime Emperor. Just as the Slime Emperor was knocked back, GentleBreeze swiftly went for the offence and sent out an onslaught of normal attacks and skills. While GenetleBreeze was doing his part, BlackCandle didn't just sit around and wait.
Tiny orbs of light started gathering in front of BlackCandle as she started casting. The tiny orbs swirled and fused together creating a single brilliant orb of light.
"Slime-chan 死んで下さい! (Please die!)" BlackCandle said politely, as she waved her hand forward after the casting was done, sending out a brilliant beam of light towards the Slime Emperor, eating away the last of its health. 'Call of the Dawn'
The party of five finally arrived at the clear field, but was stunned when they saw the items scattered on the ground around a pile of goo.
"We-We're too late!" One of the players said in disbelief.
Jae and BlackCandle defeated the Slime Emperor just in time; if they would have finished a little later than they did, it would have been a sure bet that the Mob-King would be stolen from them after the party of five and the Mob-King gang up on the two of them. It would be a disaster if that would have happened, considering that there were only two of them and five on the other party. Not to mentioned that the other party all have full health bars.
"Let's just go" One of the players said bitterly.
The party of five left with heavy hearts filled with regret, knowing that they couldn't do anything that doesn't have any sever consequence. They could've PKed the party of two for revenge, but it would just be pointless. They still wouldn't be able to get the drops of the Mob-King, since they were not the one's who killed it. Plus, making their names red would not be worth the penalty that comes with it.
As the party of five left, Jae finally let out a sigh of relief. He was worried that the party of five would go after them, because if they did, if would've been such a drag.
"Thankfully the party of five was sensible" Jae thought as he nodded his head.
Choosing to avoid conflict, knowing that there are more drawbacks than gains.
"GentleBreeze-kun, would it be alright for you, if I take the Tiny Crown?" BlackCandle asked, "You can take everything else." She added
"Ummm..... Are you sure that's the only thing you want?" Jae asked, "I mean it wouldn't be fair if I take the rest, right?"
"It's okay GentleBreeze-kun, I'm sure." BlackCandle said in assurance
"If that's what you really want, then okay" Jae said, gratefully accepting the blessing in front of him.
"ありがとう (Thank you) GentleBreeze-kun" BlackCandle said in gratitude, walking to the pile of loots and picked up the <
After getting what she needs, she turned to GentleBreeze once again and said "お疲れ様 (Otsukaresama - Thank you for your hard work) GentleBreeze-Kun! じゃあね! (See You! or Later!)" Before turning back and disappeared into the dark forest.
Jae was bummed that BlackCandle left so quickly that he didn't even got chance to say thank you or good bye or even add her as a friend. But one thing's for sure, he will always remember her. Her crazy and Unpredictable play style; her long jet black hair; her long flowy kimono; and hidden behind her soft and gentle nature, lies a vicious and menacing persona that always sends a chill down Jae's spine whenever he remembers it, especially her laugh. All of it will forever be engraved in his memories, hoping that that they can meet again in the future.
Walking toward the pile of items dropped by the Mob-King, Jae picked up the loots before heading back to the town. As soon as he arrived at the town, he immediately went to the NPC vendor and sold all the items that he got from doing his quests and battling the Mob-King, leaving only the things that are of use to him.
After selling the last of the items, Jae's eyelids started getting heavy. Yawning hard, Jae decided to just continue tomorrow and get some rest, since his body is still healing.
After logging out of Rampage, Jae went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, then headed straight to bed.
Thinking back on the day he had, a smile lifted on Jae's face. He couldn't remember that last time he felt so happy, and everything off it was all thanks to Nico. If Nico didn't give him a scolding and just left him alone, he would probably still be wallowing in misery. Jae was truly thankful for having to meet a wonderful person like Nico, that unknowingly became a priceless treasure in his life.
As sleep washed over Jae, a soft smile still remained on his face.
Notes:
'Dragon Soar' -*A knock up skill that deals a large amount of damage.*
'Wyvern Tail Slam' -*A skill that can be activated on the ground or in mid air. Using it on the ground will add a stun effect; where as using the skill in midair will double the damage output (critical chances may apply).
'Night's Embrace' -*An AoE skill that summons an energy vortex that pulls opponent towards it, while dealing continues damage. The closer the opponent is to the energy vortex, the higher the damage will be. Once the duration of the skill ends, the energy vortex will explode dealing penetrating damage, bypassing the opponents magical defense. Although severely lacking in providing high damage output, it is mainly used by many for its excellent Crowd control.*
'Fade' -*A mobility skill that has a very low cooldown, and very much similar to a Soul Sword's 'Soul Dash'. But unlike 'Soul Dash' where the character quickly dashes forward at a blinding speed, 'Fade' is more of a short distance teleportation skill.
'Sweet Dreams' -*A mid-ranged CAoE that deals no damage, but inflicts a 100% sleep effect for a 3 seconds.*
Conic area of effect ("CAoE") -*skills that affect a cone-shaped area that usually starts at the feet of the caster. All valid targets in the cone receive the same damage or effect.*
'Phantom Cat' -*A homing DoT skill that hangs on to an enemy, until the end of its duration. Summoned cats can vary in breed depending on the players Avatar. *
'Call of the Dawn' -*A skill that fires an extremely long-ranged beam, after a brief cast time; dealing massive magical damage to any opponent hit.
Jae's thoughts -*'Fade' is a mobility skill, similar to 'Soul Dash' by Soul Swords. Unlike Soul Swords who are more durable, Grand Magus players would normally use 'Fade' for only creating distance from enemies or for escaping, due to their fragile nature. But despite the said "fragile" nature of Grand Magus in general, BlackCandle utilized 'Fade' to its highest potential. Maximizing the short cooldown that 'Fade' has, BlackCandle not only uses it for escapes or creating distances, but also for closing distances, thus making her play style very similar to that of a Soul Sword player. Since Soul Sword is a melee class, it's normal for them to be close to their opponents to deal damage, and the fastest way for that to happened is by using 'Soul Dash'. On the other hand BlackCandle uses 'Fade' to get closer to her targets in order to land skills that are otherwise very challenging to land. 'Sweet Dreams' for one is considered to be among the most powerful skills in Rampage, with its 100% sleep effect. But despite its strength, it's rarely used by many because of it being a mid-ranged skill, which requires players to risk being closer to their opponents. Many would immediately give up using this skill if it means longer survivability for them, even professionals only use this skill for desperate times.*
Jae's realization -*BlackCandle's aggressive play style is very similar to that of a Soul Sword. Since Jae got to play with a Soul Sword and a Grand Magus in his professional career, he knew how to adjust to their play styles very well. Now, all he had to do was to combine both play styles and viola! Although BlackCandle's play style was still a little too abstract and not totally 100% as what Jae has imagined; at least he got something to work with, compared to just standing to the side looking stupid and not helpful at all.*
Toggle activated skills -*Allows a players to cycle a skill between 'on' and 'off' status, activating and (willingly/forcefully) disabling it or swapping an effect for another.
Red Name Penalty -*Is given to players who committed an act of killing other players outside of the arena. Consequently, players with Red Names are given timed penalties (e.g. - Banned from being able enter certain cities, Not being able to talk to NPCs, and whatnot). Red Named players are also open for other players to kill, without receiving the penalty.