The sounds of combat grew louder, drawing David like a moth to a rather dangerous flame. He moved cautiously through the twisted trees, pushing aside thick, thorny creepers, until he reached the edge of another, larger clearing within the Corrupted Grove.
There she was. Katrina Vic.
She moved with an almost liquid grace, her longbow a blur as she loosed arrow after arrow into a struggling Thorned Treant. Each shot found its mark with pinpoint accuracy, often striking the glowing red "eyes" and causing the creature to stumble and groan.
She wasn't alone. A younger woman, perhaps a couple of years David's junior, danced around another Treant, a pair of daggers flashing in her hands. Her movements were quick, almost frantic, but effective. Her bright auburn hair was tied in a messy ponytail, and her eyes, a startlingly vivid blue, darted everywhere, taking in every detail. This had to be Hailey, her sister.
The third member of their party was a young man, sturdily built, wielding a heavy-looking one-handed axe and a round wooden shield. He fought with brute force, hacking chunks out of a Treant's trunk, grunting with effort. He had an air of smug confidence about him. This, David guessed, was Isaac Thorne.
David watched for a moment as they efficiently dispatched their respective Treants. Hailey, despite her seemingly chaotic style, was clearly adept at dodging the thorny projectiles, her [Danger Sense], as per the outline, likely flaring with warnings.
"Nice shooting, Katrina!" Hailey called out, wiping a stray strand of hair from her forehead after her Treant crumbled. "Marcus, you almost took my ear off with that backswing!"
Isaac scoffed. "Just keeping you on your toes, Hailey. Wouldn't want you getting complacent." He turned, noticing David at the edge of the clearing. His eyes, a cool grey, narrowed slightly. "Well, well. Look what the corrupted thorns dragged in. Thought you were going to 'get your bearings,' newcomer?"
Katrina glanced over, a hint of surprise in her green eyes before her usual composure returned. "David. Still in one piece, I see."
"For now," David said, stepping into the clearing. He nodded towards the dispatched Treants. "You guys make it look easy."
Hailey bounded over, her blue eyes alight with curiosity. "Ooh, a new face! I'm Hailey, Katrina's much more exciting sister." She grinned, then her eyes widened slightly as she seemed to scan him. "Whoa, your tunic is humming a bit. And your sword feels… zippy. Did you poke a mana-weasel with it?"
David blinked. "Humming? Zippy?" He supposed his evolutions did give off some subtle energy. "Just a few upgrades."
Before he could elaborate, the ground trembled. A low, guttural growl, far deeper and more resonant than the Treants' groans, echoed through the grove. The remaining Thorned Treants in the vicinity froze, then seemed to shrink back.
From the darkest, most corrupted part of the grove, a colossal figure emerged. It was easily twice the height of the regular Treants, its bark darker, thicker, and festooned with thorns like obsidian daggers. Instead of simple red spots, two malevolent emerald flames burned as its eyes. It dragged one massive, root-like leg, but its upper body was surprisingly agile.
[Grove Guardian (Bronze-tier Mini-Boss - Level 7)]
[A powerful protector of the corrupted woods, its hide is incredibly tough, and its rage fuels its attacks.]
"Oh, wonderful," Isaac muttered, hefting his axe. "Just what we needed. Party time, folks." His gaze flickered towards David, a hint of challenge in it. "Try to keep up, newbie."
The Grove Guardian let out another roar and slammed a fist as thick as a tree trunk into the ground, sending a shockwave of splintered earth outwards. Hailey yelped and leaped back, her [Danger Sense] clearly screaming at her.
Katrina nocked an arrow. "Isaac, on its left! Hailey, harass its flank, watch for its root slam! David, if you're joining, try to draw its attention if one of us is pinned!"
David didn't need telling twice. This thing was clearly a step up. "Got it!"
Katrina's arrow flew, embedding itself near one of the Guardian's emerald eyes. The beast roared in annoyance, turning towards her. Isaac charged in with a battle cry, his axe biting into its leg. [-15 Damage!]. The Guardian swiped at him, and Isaac caught the blow on his shield, grunting from the impact.
Hailey, true to Katrina's command, zipped around to its side, her daggers a blur. [-4 Damage!] [-5 Damage!]. Her attacks were fast but seemed to do minimal harm to its thick hide.
David saw his chance. The Guardian was focused on Isaac and Katrina. He circled to its exposed back and activated his skill. "[Swift Strike]!" He aimed for a spot where several roots converged, hoping it was a weaker point.
His evolved blade connected with surprising force. [-22 Damage!]
The Guardian shuddered, its emerald eyes swiveling towards David with surprising speed. Even Isaac glanced over, a hint of surprise – or was it annoyance? – in his eyes. David's [Trainee's Blade], even evolved, shouldn't have hit that hard unless…
The Guardian roared and lumbered towards David. Its speed was deceptive for its size. David backpedaled, barely dodging a sweeping blow that would have crushed him.
"It's faster than it looks!" Hailey shouted, trying to draw its attention with a series of quick stabs to its leg.
David focused, dodging another swipe. He needed an opening. Katrina was firing arrows consistently, each one making the Guardian flinch, but not doing massive damage. Isaac was trading blows, his shield taking a beating.
"I'm going to try and hamstring it!" Isaac yelled, ducking under a swing and aiming a powerful blow at the Guardian's uninjured leg.
Just as David was lining up another [Swift Strike], Isaac, in his "attack," stumbled slightly. His shield arm came up, "accidentally" bumping David's arm mid-lunge.
David's [Swift Strike] went wide, skittering harmlessly off the Guardian's thickest bark. And worse, the bump threw him off balance, directly into the path of the Guardian's retaliatory backhand.
There was no time to dodge. David braced, a curse on his lips.
WHAM!
Pain exploded through his chest. He was flung backwards, landing hard on his back, the air driven from his lungs.
[-45 HP!]
A massive chunk of his health, gone. If it weren't for his evolved [Traveler's Tunic] and its [+1 Durability], he was pretty sure that would have been a one-hit KO, or very close to it. He felt the faint warmth of its [Faint Vitality] already struggling to mend the damage, but 1 HP per minute was nothing against that kind of hit.
"David!" Katrina cried out, loosing a rapid shot that struck the Guardian in the face, making it roar and turn.
"My bad, newcomer!" Isaac called, not sounding particularly apologetic as he re-engaged the Guardian. "Slippery footing!"
David coughed, his vision swimming. He could feel a sharp pain in his ribs. Slippery footing, my a$$, he thought, glaring at Marcus's back. That felt deliberate. Was this guy trying to get him killed to show off for Katrina?
He pushed himself up, wincing. He was hurt, but not out. And he was angry.
The Grove Guardian was now heavily focused on Isaac and Katrina. Hailey was still darting in and out, her daggers leaving small nicks. The beast was wounded, leaking a dark, sap-like substance from multiple gashes, but it was still fighting ferociously.
David saw his chance. The Guardian, enraged, reared up for another massive root slam, exposing its underbelly for a brief moment. Its emerald eyes were fixed on Katrina.
His [Swift Strike] was ready. The pain in his ribs sharpened his focus. He wasn't going to let Isaac get the glory after that cheap shot.
Ignoring the throbbing in his chest, David surged forward, pouring every ounce of his remaining strength into the lunge. "[Swift Strike]!"
His evolved blade, zippy as Hailey had called it, hit true, sinking deep into a softer, less protected patch on the Guardian's chest that had been briefly exposed.
[-30 Damage!]
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[VULNERABLE POINT STRUCK!]
A deafening shriek tore from the Grove Guardian. Its emerald eyes sparked and flared uncontrollably. It staggered, its massive form trembling, then with a final, earth-shaking groan, it crashed to the ground, dissolving into a huge shower of glittering particles.
[Grove Guardian (Bronze-tier Mini-Boss) defeated!]
[+150 EP!]
[Looted: [Guardian's Bark Shield (Uncommon)]!]
[Looted: [Heartwood Fragment] x3]
[Looted: [Lesser Corruption Core] x1]
One hundred and fifty EP! David felt a surge of triumph, quickly followed by a wave of dizziness from the pain and exertion. He leaned heavily on his sword, panting.
Silence descended on the grove, broken only by their ragged breathing.
Katrina lowered her bow, looking at David with a newfound respect. Hailey rushed over, her blue eyes wide. "David! Are you okay? That looked nasty! But that last hit! Wow!"
Isaac Thorne stood staring at the spot where the Grove Guardian had been, then at David, his jaw tight. The smug confidence was gone, replaced by a look of disbelief and thinly veiled resentment. He'd clearly intended to be the hero of this fight.
David just managed a weak grin, looking at the loot notification. A [Guardian's Bark Shield]. That sounded a whole lot better than Isaac's plain wooden one.
Payback, even accidental, felt pretty good.