The group gave it their all to take down the former cultist leader. His HP dropped constantly but Lenn was also under pressure. After a while Jeddid had enough and revealed another skill of his.
Water fountains erupted randomly below the players' feet.
"Focus guys! Dodge, but don't forget to attack!"
Liam urged his group while he kept sticking close to the boss. Suddenly he felt some water gathering on the ground below his feet. Without hesitation he used a flash step to appear at the other side of the boss and continue his attacks.
As long as they weren't hit by the skill, the group was presented with the opportunity to freely attack the boss. Jeddid only stood in the centre of the room with his staff raised far above his head.
The players kept their cool, attacking fiercely, finally reducing the boss's HP below 40.000 points.
"You won't be able to defy me forever!"
Jeddid noticed that his efforts were futile and lowered his staff again, ending the skill. Instead, he continued his attacks on Lenn. Hit with another magical sphere the tank finally ran out of stance.
"Now it gets tricky..."
Lenn murmured into his beard as he watched the boss send another attack a second later. Nearly 4.000 of his 25.000 HP were gone in an instant. Melodious Edelweiss did her best to heal against it, but it was only enough to recover about 2500 HP.
Meanwhile the others slowly recovered their cooldowns. Liam was able to deal a big chunk of damage and Fortune fired her arcane bolts. The powerful magic reduced the boss's HP by 405 points per hit, posing a considerable threat.
After months of training and with little pressure Fortune's aim was commendable. She step by step improved her control over the skill which was inherently difficult to land. Now, seven of the bolts found their target, dealing enough damage to rival a combo from Liam.
The gorgeous mage was quite proud inwardly but everyone was too engrossed in the fight at the moment to acknowledge her improvement.
Jeddid's HP continued to decrease, approaching the halfway mark.
"You little pests! It is time to die! Drown in the holy waters!"
Jeddid gritted his teeth, his eyes spewing poison. He hated the intruders, but he especially hated this old body of his. If he were still in his prime how could the adventurers even be his match?
The old man's thoughts were dark as he waved his staff in circles before his face. The thirteen pools slowly surged. The water rose into the air, gathering towards Jeddid. Simultaneously the old man also began to levitate approaching the ceiling.
Lenn followed him with his eyes, asking Liam:
"Mirage, disperse or group together?"
"Group! It's a good time for your reflect skill. Wait on my signal!"
"Got it!"
The others listened to Liam and quickly gathered in the centre of the room. They watched as Jeddid rose into the air and enclosed himself in a swiftly growing water bubble.
It looked like a floating lake. Its surface was surging as a terrifying force was brewing inside.
"Die!"
"Now!"
Suddenly Jeddid had reached his limit. As he was about to attack, Liam instantly gave the signal for Lenn.
The dwarf reacted and slammed the tip of his shield into the ground. A large amount of steam erupted and covered the entire group within.
Jeddid didn't care for the players' actions. With blazing eyes, he rushed towards the floor engulfed his body in water. His pace was incredible making him look like a meteor of water. In no time at all he reached the players, threatening to flatten them with a mighty attack.
But it didn't come as the former cultist leader expected. As soon as he touched the steam produced by Lenn, an invisible force engulfed him. With no power to fight back his attack was reflected. With the same high speed Jeddid returned the way he came from, flung away like a rubber ball.
"AHH!"
With a cry the old man crashed into the ceiling. The entire mountain seemed to tremble. Dust fell everywhere. Even the people outside were startled. Luckily, they weren't suspicious as it was normal for the mountain to tremble from time to time.
[-3587!]
The boss received a heavy hit. The water around him dispersed and the old man's body powerlessly fell to the floor, receiving even more damage.
[-400!]
Jeddid lay on the floor groaning, questioning his life. Before he even dragged his body up the players were already next to him swinging their swords.
"You will... pay for this."
"Save it, old man!"
Jeddid gritted his teeth, but he couldn't do much else other than sending an attack towards Lenn. While the old man had prepared his skill Melodious Edelweiss never stopped healing the tank. Now Lenn was stably above 20.000HP again, able to take a few more hits.
The fight continued and soon Jeddid repeated his old tricks. Pillars of water attacked the group again. This time there was a small slip up as both Fortune and Braag got hit once but Melodious Edelweiss quickly aided them in recovering.
Towards the end of the skill Liam also used the black icicle again. The players were reluctant, but they endured the unpleasant sensation of being turned into ice statues.
However, with this use Liam's icicle had no more charges left. It broke apart, turning into black snowflakes which emitted a mysterious aura as they drifted through the air, slowly disappearing through the vents.
The black icicle had done its job saving the party from the skill.
Soon the party regained their movement facing an increasingly exhausted looking Jeddid. Compared to other bosses who got more aggressive the lower their HP, Jeddid's movement even slowed down.
"I would almost pity him if he weren't trying to kill us..."
Although Fortune said so she never stopped casting skills for one second. Under the group's relentless assault Jeddid's HP decreased more and more. Soon he repeated his other skills as well. But the players already had their strategies to deal with them.
After a while it looked like Jeddid was done for but suddenly something happened that no one expected. The old man, with one foot already in the grave, revealed a ferocious expression.
"I am NOT going to die like this!"
Screaming madly Jeddid reached into his broad sleeve and suddenly pulled out a red gem similar to the one the players saw in the temple earlier. He put all his strength into his hand and crushed the gem to dust.
Immediately a large amount of mana began surging behind the huge door. It passed through the solid material and streamed towards Jeddid who absorbed it greedily.
Under everyone's shocked eyes the old man's condition recovered visibly. His back straightened, his face got rejuvenated and his white hair turned black. And to everyone's horror the 'weakened' disappeared from his status.
"F*ck! What? That old guy got a berserk mode?!"
"Mirage, what should we do now?!"
"I... don't know..."
Liam was just as shocked as the others. Jeddid didn't enter berserk mode according to his memories. After all, doing so allowed him to recover his power as a real level 52 boss. How could a group of level forties pose any danger to him?
While Liam racked his brain for solutions Jeddid revelled in his newfound power.
"HAHAHA!"
Laughing crazily the man waved his staff, casually sending an attack towards Lenn. The tank watched in horror as a magical projectile slammed into his chest. Its power pushed him back several steps before he managed to stabilize himself.
But this wasn't the worst of it all Fortune probingly sent an attack of her own...
[-1!]
Fortune smiled wryly. The boss still had 5000HP remaining. If every attack only dealt a single point of damage, there was no chance for them to win.
"Let me help you!"
Suddenly a slightly weak voice came from behind the group of players. Harry, who had been leaning against a wall without any strength, walked towards the fight. With each step he stabilized more until he was able to work normally again.
"Has he recovered?"
Melodious Edelweiss was confused but also pleasantly surprised. She also realized that they could use every little bit of help now. She even sent a small buff toward Harry in the hope that the young man was powerful enough to take down Jeddid.
"Who are you? Another ignorant mortal daring to defy our god! Meet your end!"
Regaining his peak power Jeddid looked extremely arrogant. He didn't care for Harry's addition at all, certain that the situation was under his control.
The players also didn't know if Harry could help them win. Checking his status only returned question marks. Nevertheless, they could only put all their hope in him.
Jeddid raised his chin arrogantly as he swung his staff. Harry fell into a light jog. Passing by the players he tensed all his muscles and delivered a powerful punch at Jeddid's face.
Boom!
A shockwave spread from the collision.