Naturally Renjaolh didn't stay still while the party attacked. He controlled his Panton to build some distance towards Radiant Shield as he aimed his tall black bow at the tank.
Arrows shot through the air, leaving high-pitched whistling sounds, forcing Radiant Shield to block with his shield.
[Stance -28]
The tank was continuously losing stance. Thanks to being mounted his maximum stance had reached 460 points, allowing him to hold on for quite a while.
Yet after using dash and blocking a few arrows he also felt the pressure.
"Keep it up guys, this is easy!"
Fortune encouraged her friends as she stood some distance from Renjaolh, just about to finish her cast. Just like Cyclone she had controlled her basilisk named Arca to stop so she could fully focus on her cast.
Finally, her [Arcane Bolt] was ready. The cast time of all her skills was reduced by 5% thanks to her new ring belonging to her set equipment. This might not sound like a lot but for Fortune it made a considerable difference in her damage per second.
A vast amount of mana gathered around her staff as she swung it gracefully, unleashing the first projectile. The air blurred wherever the condensed mana passed as if slammed into Renjaolh's black Panton's flank.
[-911!]
"Roar!"
The beast let out a pained roar as the attack injured it. The bolt of mana suddenly erupted causing a fierce shockwave to strike its surroundings.
This was the effect of Fortune's set equipment, which granted all her attacks a small AOE effect.
"Adventurers, you can still leave now!"
Renjaolh shouted angrily as his body shook on top of his mount. He had to tightly grab onto the Panton's neck to keep himself from falling off.
Noticing how his HP dwindled he suddenly shouted a word in the language of the dark elves. His Panton understood the command and instantly turned into a black blur. His movements appeared similar to the players' [Dash].
Renjaolh left the encirclement and sprinted into the distance. While moving he suddenly waved his hand and scattered black crowsfeet in a wide area, their sharp, pointed tips gleaming dreadfully in the sun. As soon as these small weapons reached the ground, they turned invisible, forming deadly tarps for the players.
Liam instantly led Reen in pursuit. The basilisk dashed fearlessly. Just as they were about to step into the dangerous minefield, Reen flapped her wings. The basilisk's speed increased, and she left the ground together with Liam.
[Stance -9]
[Stance -9]
[Stance -9]
The duo sailed above the dangerous area and landed close to Renjaolh, who looked at them dumbfounded.
Even the boss appeared surprised at the ability shown off by Reen.
But this was the skill [Flying Dash]. It was the entire reason why Liam insisted on fighting the hidden boss and getting the ten basilisk eggs. While the enemies were designed with normal mounts in mind, being capable of flight was an enormous advantage. Even if it was only for a short distance.
This fact was strongly embodied by another new addition to the party. A black tiger half the height of a human with large, impressive, black wings flashed past Liam fearlessly pouncing at the boss.
His claws gleamed with a metallic white shadow, their sharpness even stinging one's eyes just form looking, as Silent Acacia ordered him to activate his skill [Sword Claws], which increased his damage by ten percent for five seconds.
The ferocious pet pounced on Renjaolh swinging his shiny claws at the unprepared boss.
[-307!]
"Good job Korn!"
Silent Acacia praised his new pet as he ordered his basilisk, which he named Fell after a certain NPC which left a deep impression on him. Together they chased after the boss.
The young man squinted his eyes as he prepared his next arrow. He held his breath, trying his best to balance himself on Fell's moving back. Right before the basilisk was about to use [Flying Dash], Silent Acacia let go of the string.
An arrow pierced the air and perfectly hit the boss's shoulder.
"Nice one, Babe."
Silent Acacia grinned upon hearing his girlfriend's compliment. Among the friends he was one of those getting accustomed to mounted combat the fastest, right behind Watchful Eye. Fortunately, he was able to uphold his reputation as a pro player.
His girlfriend showed a similar level of advancement as the couple simultaneously activated their [Flying Dash] and skipped the traps laid out by Renjaolh.
The rest of the party lagged somewhat behind. Cyclone and Fortune showed annoyed expressions. While Cyclone had already started her next cast, Fortune was still in the process of firing her [Arcane Bolt].
As the boss sped up, Fortune held back her attacks knowing that it would be incredibly difficult to hit the dark elf. And even now that he slowed down, the distance made it difficult to aim.
Now Fortune was forced to decide between attacking from a distance or taking the risk of moving, which could interrupt her skill.
While thinking she watched her friends chasing after the boss one by one. The most leisurely of them all was Balm. She decided to save her stance and make a large detour, avoiding the danger zone without using her [Flying Dash].
Renjaolh appeared angry but he had no immediate countermeasure. He simply continued his attacks on Radiant Shield. Finally, a black arrow was about to reach the tank and break his stance.
But the tank kept in mind the importance of [Dash]. Thus, instead of letting his stance be used up he activated his [Holy Barrier].
[-1768!]
The tank's barrier rippled only slightly. The boss couldn't shake Radiant Shield who protected the party reliably.
But as Radiant Shield didn't block Renjaolh's path anymore, the boss freely kept moving. He didn't deliberately dodge anything, but his movements were a new challenge for the party.
The melee players had to control their mounts to keep up with the enemy. This already made it more difficult to come into range for their attacks. But on top of that each attack forced them to focus, which reduced their speed momentarily. After each swing of their swords, they had to catch up with Renjaolh again.
All of this understandably decreased the efficiency at which the party dealt damage. And it didn't help that Fortune had decided to fire her arcane bolts from a distance, causing her to only land three hits out of ten.
Only Liam and to a certain extent Watchful Eye were able to perfectly keep up with Renjaolh, unleashing their attacks with little delay.
But luckily Renjaolh wasn't a particularly strong boss. Under the party's attacks his HP were dwindling continuously.
Soon, he unleashed another arrow storm, fighting for some breathing room for himself. The party was forced to dodge. Despite the usage of [Dash], they didn't come out unscathed.
In order to finish her cast Cyclone had taken a direct hit. Her HP had dropped below half, but with Balm present the entire party was gradually nursed back to full.
"Stupid elf! Let me see how you run away now!"
Cyclone shouted angrily as she finished her cast. Lightning gathered around Renjaolh forming a crackling cage, locking him and his mount in.
Renjaolh was constantly moving. He directly ignored the risk brought by the cage and tried to break out. Sparks instantly erupted and drove through the bodies of the dark elf and the Panton.
Rider and mount froze in place, affected by the paralysis. Immediately everyone's eyes lit up as they saw their chance.
Bloody Edge sneaked up on the boss, he and his grey-feathered basilisk named Dull clad in stealth. With a thought the thief controlled his new companion to instantly close the distance.
Dull opened his mouth, revealing rows of incredibly sharp teeth and snapped at the boss.
[-367!]
This was Dull's skill [Traceless Bite]. Its damage was average, but it had additional effects. On one hand the skill could be used without leaving stealth and on the other it increased the chance of Bloody Edge's next attack striking critically.
The thief grinned as he stared at the immobilized enemy. He activated his ultimate skill to melt Renjaolh's armor as he directed Dull to attack in his stead.
Receiving the command, the basilisk jumped lightly and slashed at the enemy's throat with his sharp claws, using [Cut Throat].
[-1984!!!]
Renjaolh's eyes bulged as he received an enormous amount of damage thanks to a critical hit.
Simultaneously the rest of the party coordinated with Bloody Edge, attacking as well. Within a moment the boss's HP fell freely.
"Go to hell!"
Suddenly Renjaolh let out a loud shout. Billowing dark magic erupted from a ring on his finger, breaking the paralysis effect and surging towards the players.
Liam instantly recognized the danger, warning his friends.
Bloody Edge, who stood closest to the boss, realized he wouldn't get away in time. With a thought he activated his mount's second skill.
Bloody Edge and Dull turned into a shadow which instantly flashed away from the boss, avoiding the damage. Simultaneously the damage they dealt during the last two seconds was afflicted on Renjaolh again, albeit reduced due to the boss's armor.
[-468!]