The newly appeared Shroom Demon Commander had also taken some damage as the party bulldozed through his skill. His HP had been reduced to 40.000 points. Yet the players were back to full life, looming over the small shroom as if they were the monsters.
"Charge!"
A quick command and everyone resumed their attacks. Fortune managed to hold onto her cast of [Arcane Bolt]. She used her passive to prolong the cast, improving the potential damage in the process. Now pure mana gathered at the tip of her staff. Sweat ran down her cheek. The staff in her hands felt heavy like a tree trunk. It took quite some effort just to point it at the enemy. A blueish bolt of mana shot out… and missed.
The shroom demon swayed its small body, escaping the arcane bolt by a hair's breadth. But Fortune wasn't discouraged. She took a moment to adjust her aim. Seeing that Quickstep arrived next to the boss and began her attacks, Fortune fired another bolt. This time the shroom demon didn't have the leisure to escape, receiving a hit squarely to its face.
"Humans! Unfair!"
[-1204!]
The shroom demon shook from the potent damage bit this wasn't the end of it. Quickstep had already arrived next to it, unleashing her wrath. Liam was only one step behind. And Silver Blade advanced with a [Luring Barrier], attracting all the damage. They were back to a one-sided beating.
"Can't let humans pass!"
Suddenly the shroom demon's eyes turned a deep red. A foul smell spread from it. It raised its hand and from all sides mycelia fused into its body.
"Quick! Gather around Silver Blade!"
The friends moved, and it swiftly became apparent why Liam gave this command. The shroom demon's body grew, twisting and stretching until it filled the entire width of the tunnel, cutting it in two. From its large body sprouted two thick arms which by themselves matched the size of the pre-transformation demon.
"Meh. Not so cute anymore…"
Cyclone grumbled while keeping an eye on the rope of lightning connecting her and the shroom demon. At this time another instance of damage came through, causing the sub-boss's body to erupt in sparks.
[-792!]
"The damage is still the same and its body is easier to hit. Did the difficulty just decrease?"
Cyclone voiced her confusion. She was in the process of casting her next skill, watching as her friends continued to attack. Watchful Eye rotated his staff and slammed it towards the left of the demon while Quickstep cut into its body from the right. Yet the shroom commander didn't panic. It used one of its arms to repel Watchful Eye's staff, blocking the attack, while the other slammed towards Silver Blade.
[Stance -15]
[Stance -22]
The friends were surprised that the sub-boss had learned how to block attacks. But this wasn't its only improvement. As its fist collided with Silver Blade's shield, a small explosion followed. Silver Blade felt a heavy force hitting her body. She couldn't stop it and was pushed back a couple of steps. Spores scattered towards the surroundings, dealing some damage to Liam, Quickstep, and Watchful Eye.
"Get rid of humans!"
As the shroom commander spoke, its feet, barely discernible under the large body, laboriously made a step forward. Silver Blade's thoughts spun, and she discovered the crux of the enemy's strategy. If the Shroom Demon Commander could push the players against the wall with its attacks, then each of its AOE attacks could affect the entire party.
"Hurry up! We need to kill it quickly!"
The others also understood the issue one by one. They increased their efforts. Fortune fired her last arcane bolt against the impossible-to-miss target.
[-1204!]
Cyclone's next skill was ready as well. A cage of crackling lightning, criss-crossing dangerously, enveloped the entire body of the boss. It barely had any room left to move. When the boss tried to take another step forward, it touched the cage and potent lightning drove into its bodies, applying a paralysis.
[-514!]
[-339!]
"Can't move…"
The boss kindly informed the players who immediately attacked with everything they had. An arrow accompanied by the illusionary image of a black tiger's head, swords moving like the wind, a trinity of holy light swords, a staff exploding with Qi bearing the power to push the enemy back, all of those fell on the Shroom Demon Commander simultaneously, causing immense damage to its vitality. This was mirrored in its HP which sank below 20.000 points.
Under the relentless assault the boss suffered greatly. Two seconds later the immobilizing effect finally disappeared. The boss was eager for revenge. He took a step forward, once again coming into contact with the lightning cage, but sadly without getting struck by another paralysis. A thick mushroom fist moved at an unexpected speed, slamming powerfully into Silver Blade's shield. The tank was pushed backward and her stance finally broke.
[-1412!]
Silver Blade furrowed her brows. Her job now was to make sure that the boss couldn't gain any ground. She dug her heels into the floor, tensing every muscle in her body.
"Come on!"
Letting out a low shout Silver Blade welcomed the next attack. A potent force tried to overwhelm her. But the tank had already adapted. Her body trembled yet remained unmoving like a mighty boulder.
[-4061!]
"Good job!"
"Awesome, Silver!"
"That's what a real tank should look like!"
The friends were quite generous with their praise. Mainly because tanks usually didn't stand out much. They were the silent shield protecting the party behind them, ensuring their safety. But their skilled movements were difficult to spot from the outside. Although Silver Blade was not someone seeking for attention, quite contrary to her brother, it still felt nice to receive the validation of one's friends from time to time.
Furthermore, spreading some praise didn't stop the rest from attacking the boss. Their weapons never stopped moving, leaving injury after injury on the boss's big body. Its HP were reduced step by step. In no time at all only about 10.000 points remained.
"Must stop enemies!"
Under the eyes of the players the Shroom Demon Commander shivered heavily. Its already red eyes deepened even more, bulging as if they were about to explode. Streaks of red mixed into the white mycelia making up its body. It pointed towards the door on the opposite side of the tunnel.
For a moment the players were confused as nothing happened but then the door began to creak ominously. The wood bent as if a monster was pushing against it. Suddenly there was a loud bang and the door broke open, wood splinters shooting in all directions. More mycelia came from the room behind the door, pushing into the tunnel. It advanced until it was only a few steps away from Balm's back where it combined to take the form of a second large shroom commander. Now the players faced a boss from the front and behind.
"Two bosses?"
"Damn, did it enter berserk mode?"
"Don't panic guys! They share a HP bar!"
The friends immediately figured out the situation, but it was still a second too late. The newly emerged demon raised its large fist and slammed it towards Balm. Fortunately, the healer was prepared. With a beautiful flash step, she escaped the blow. Yet the boss wasn't discouraged. With no one standing in its way it made a few steps forward, decreasing the space available for the players.
"We don't have a second tank, what should we do?"
"Focus on attacking! Take them down before they get us cornered!"
The players were under quite some pressure. They unleashed whatever attacks they had left, trying to destroy the shroom as quickly as possible. But it immediately became apparent that the boss's defence had increased greatly. The attacks only dealt about half of the original damage, slowing the players by quite a lot. Meanwhile the boss at the back advanced slowly. The ranged players kept their distance. They couldn't block the boss anyways.
"Die!"
Fortune shouted as the cast for her ultimate skill was finally completed. Two massive hands created from pure mana appeared to the left and right of her, half sticking through the wall. The hands targeted the boss coming from behind. With an echoing clap the boss disappeared between the two palms, its advance momentarily halted.
[-838!]
"Nice one!"
With one of the bosses taken out, the pressure was immediately reduced by a lot. All efforts concentrated on the original shroom demon. Silent Acacia was squatting on the ground, his body obscured. In his vision a target appeared on the enemy's body. Instantly he pulled back his hand and an arrow shot through the air, landing accurately on the target. The skill's effect triggered guaranteeing a critical hit. Less than a second later another arrow pierced the boss. Another critical hit!
[-673!!!]
[-643!!!]
"Nooo! Master, I failed you!"
The Shroom Demon Commander let out a saddened cry as its HP were finally reduced to zero. The force holding the mycelia together disappeared. The boss's body broke apart, turning into multiple patches of tissue, floating to the ground like large snowflakes.