Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 259 Shaman (Part 1)

Ye Ci did a quick glance at her abilities, and identified a few that were perfect in her situation. A very effective way to deal with a high level opponent was to attack it with skills that damage a target over time. The damage dealt might be low, but such skills were usually not affected by level penalty. Some of the higher damage dealing skills would deal lower amounts of damage due to the level penalty, and some might even miss. It was easy for Ye Ci to kite the lvl75 Magma Golems if she was able to restrict their movement speed.

She deployed Frost Traps along the paths that might be taken by the Magma Golems. A Frost Trap was an ability that can slow the movement of an enemy, which was one of the few crowd control skills possessed by the Hunter class. This was why each and every abilities that possessed crowd control effect was valuable to a Hunter. And the perfect usage of such abilities could allow the Hunter class to easily bring down its opponent.

After deploying the traps, Ye Ci cast Empowered Falcon Protection on herself. It was an ability that greatly improved the ranged damage of a Hunter, and was one of the most important skills of the Hunter class. A combo with Empowered Falcon Protection and Empowered Hunter’s Mark could easily deal huge amounts of damage to an opponent. Ye Ci then cast her Empowered Hunter’s Mark on one of the Magma Golems. The red mark of the ability was especially eye-catching in the cave that was filled with nothing but darkness and the strong scent of sulfur.

With her preparations complete, Ye Ci then launched her pre-selected skills onto the Magma Golem. Serpent Stinger, Bleeding Stinger, and Shadow Arrow were skills with low level requirement and a low cooldown. These skills were able to deal continuous damage over the period of more than 10 seconds, making them the perfect tools against high leveled enemies. Ye Ci then followed up her attack with a lvl5 Concussion Arrow that could reduce her opponent’s movement speed by 50% for 8 seconds. The effect, however, would immediately be canceled if the target afflicted by the slow was attacked. This was why Ye Ci stopped her attack, and waited patiently for the Magma Golem to step on her Frost Trap.

The Magma Golem was taking a leisurely stroll in its territory, oblivious to the Empowered Hunter’s Mark on its head until the first of Ye Ci’s many arrows began landing on its body. The paint was barely registered by the Magma Golem, but it was enraged by the sudden attack. It studied its surroundings, and spotted Ye Ci who was standing not far away. The Magma Golem charged at Ye Ci, but was slowed down by the Concussion Arrow.

The damage indicators floating on the Magma Golem’s head as it struggled to reach its assailant was a tragic sight.

Players had to be smart in a battle against Magma Golems. They were monsters that were highly resistant to flame damage, rendering Fire Mages useless in battle. Magma Golems, however, were vulnerable to Ice, Holy, or Dark Magic, and were easy pickings for Sorcerers specializing in crowd control. Melee characters would have a hard time dealing with the Magma Golems. They were forced to either learn the skill “Stone Skin”, or employ large quantities of anti burn potion. Character classes like Hunters and Rogues would find the Magma Golems formidable as they lack the crowd control of the other classes, and their arrows would be easily damaged or even destroyed by the flowing magma on the Golems.

Magma Golems were commonly sighted in post lvl60 maps. Of course, this did not mean that Magma Golems were the only monsters that had a high spawn rate in high level maps. It simply meant that the spawn rate of monsters with dual elements were significantly increased in these maps.

The Magma Golem that was Ye Ci’s opponent was the perfect example. It was made of rocks and mayma, which meant that players would have to be very careful to not hit the magma on the Golem’s surface or their weapons would be damaged by the high temperature, incurring a high repair cause. An attack on the magma part of a Magma Golem would also have its damage drastically reduced. This was why players were careful to choose the best spots to land their attacks in a fight against Magma Golems. A hit to the neck, waist, or knees would deal huge amounts of damage to a Magma Golem, and might even cause instant death.

Ye Ci focused her attacks on the waist and knees of a Magma Golem. She knew that attacking the neck could deal even more damage to the Golem, but it was also a very risky spot. The magma flowing from the Golem’s head and shoulders might spill onto its neck and destroy Ye Ci’s arrow, nullifying her damage to the Golem in the process.

With the Magma Golem slowed by Ye Ci’s Concussion Arrow, her Serpent Stinger and Bleeding Stinger were ready when her opponent stepped within the range of the Frost Trap. Even when there were 2 seconds left on the Concussion Arrow’s effect, Ye Ci did not even hesitate as she launched yet another wave of attack on the Magma Golem. The monster, finally freed from the slow debuff, charged at Ye Ci’s direction only to step on the Frost Trap. Icy spikes sprung from a thin layer of ice that had formed within a 9 yards radius of the trap’s location. This was a sign that the Frost Trap was activated.

Despite the extreme heat that would melt the ice formed by the Frost Trap, the slow effect on the Golem was what Ye Ci wished to achieve. It had only two thirds of its hitpoints left, and as long as her attacks did not miss, she would be able to defeat the Golem before it can get within range.

Of course, not all expectations would become reality.

Even with her best efforts, Ye Ci’s hit rate was simply too low. The Magma Golem was quick to escape the Frost Trap’s area of effect and regained its movement speed. It charged at Ye Ci with a mighty roar, forcing her to back away. Her original plan was to slowly kite the Golem to death, but the confined space and the two other Golems sleeping nearby limited her options.

Ye Ci was forced to try her best to dodge the Magma Golem’s attack, and keep it beyond the 8 yards distance. The Magma Golem was a cumbersome creature due to its large and heavy body made of rocks. It was not an easy task for such a clumsy creature to keep up with an Elven Huntress that was much more agile. The Golem was frustrated when its attacks was repeatedly evaded by the pesky Elf that were dancing dodging and weaving around in the cave. It raised its two gigantic fists and let out a roar. The magma on the Golem’s body began to boil. It was the sign that a Magma Golem was about to unleash its skill called Boiling Lava. It was an attack that would be used by Magma Golems if they were not defeated within 3 minutes and there health was at 10%. This ability would spill magma everywhere in any direction, dealing high burn damage to its enemies.

Boiling Lava was a skill that could be canceled, but Ye Ci lack the ability that could cancel the channeling of such a skill. Her only option was to dodge the attack or perish in the attempt.

Ye Ci attempted a backwards jump, but was soon to realise that she had her back against the wall. Her heart immediately sank. I would have to suffer the full brunt of this attack. She immediately chugged down a bottle of potion. Even if a Medium Burn Resistant Potion was not as effective against a lvl75 monster, it was all she had.

Just as Ye Ci was ready to receive the attack, the crackling sound of electricity entered her ears, and the Magma Golem that was at the brink of finishing its channeling lowered its head. She was dumbfounded by the sudden change of events. There was a “Paralysed” on the Golem’s status bar. She immediately jumped away as she fired off her skills, putting some distance between her and the Magma Golem.

It did not take long for Ye Ci to reduce the Magma Golem into a pile of shattered stones on the ground. She let out a long breath and began scanning her surroundings, and found 3 totems at the feet of the Golem. They were Lightning Totems deployed by a Shaman. The totems could deal Lightning Damage to an opponent with a “Paralyze” effect. Lightning Totems were the best tool of a Shaman in battle.

But is there even a Shaman around? Could it be a player instead? Even Ye Ci herself doubted her own deduction. My arrival on this island was by sheer chance. Will there even be another player here? Even if someone is able to make his or her way to the island, he or she might not be able to locate the Doluo tribe. Even if they did find their way to the Doluo tribe, they might not necessarily be able to locate the Pitch Black Cave, and by the odd chance that a player actually show up in this place, he or she has no obligation at all to offer me aid. So if that’s not a player, what is it?

Ye Ci studied her surroundings, but was not able to find the caster of the skill.

Just then, she heard a loud crunch of grinding rocks from the direction of the entrance. She narrowed her eyes and adjusted her gaze to the source of the sound just to find a silhouette hiding in the shadows. “Who’s there?” asked Ye Ci in a low voice, but she received no reply.

Ye Ci’s tone grew harsher, “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

The silhouette slowly revealed itself after some slight hesitation. Ye Ci could not hold back her laughter. Isn’t that Alaunar who I left at the entrance? Why is he here?

“It’s me, Elf.” Alaunar was nervous. It was apparent that he was not at ease for disobeying the orders of his employer, “Please don’t tell Nuoba that I’ve disobeyed an order from you or he’ll deduct my salary.”

“Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to wait outside?” asked Ye Ci with a smile. She walked up to Alaunar, patted him on the head, and spoke with a gentle voice, “It’s dangerous here.”

“I know, b-b-but...” Alaunar stared at Ye Ci with determination in his eyes that shone through the darkness, “But I don’t think that I can afford to be afraid. If I’m afraid, I will no longer be able to fight.”

Ye Ci continued to stare at Alaunar in silence.

Alaunar spoke up when he noticed the silence from Ye Ci, “I’m just thinking that I should be learning from you. I should stop being a coward and face my problems bravely. Even if I might be a burden to you, I’ve made the decision to help you.” Alaunar’s voice trembled. It was apparent that the boy had the intention to joining Ye Ci in her battle in the Pitch Black Cave, but had mistook her silence for rejection. He attempted to change Ye Ci’s mind, not knowing that her attention was focused on something else.

Ye Ci finally spoke up when despair started to grip Alaunar’s heart, “You’re a Shaman?”

Her words immediately rendered Alaunar silent. He transferred the wooden staff gripped in his right hand to his left, and rubbed his right hand against his clothes. He even averted his gaze from Ye Ci, not daring to meet her eyes, “I’m not. I’m a Warrior.”

“If you’re not a Shaman, then who was the person who deployed the totems just now?” this question was the focus of Ye Ci’s attention.

“I was the one.” Alaunar spoke with a very soft voice, as if he was making a confession to a grave sin.

“A Warrior capable of deploying totems?” Ye Ci’s voice was filled with disbelief, “I don’t think Warriors have an ability like that, but why is a Warrior of the Doluo tribe capable of such a feat?”

“N-n-no, it’s not like that.” Alaunar shook his head upon Ye Ci’s words. He bit down hard on his lips. It was obvious that something was troubling his mind. Ye Ci was not a very curious person, but it was a habit of hers to get to the bottom of matters in a game, especially when even the tiniest hints could be used to her advantage.

“You can trust me. I’ll help you keep your secrets. Of course, I will not think differently of your should you choose to keep them hidden from me.” Ye Ci patted Alaunar on the head. It appeared as if she had given Alaunar a choice, but her words were laden with trap that would trick a person who was not careful into spilling his or her secrets.

Of course, such a measue would never work on a highly intelligent NPC like Dalufar. Alaunar on the other hand, was easily tricked by Ye Ci’s words.

It did not mean that Alaunar was lacking in intelligence, but NPCs in Fate were designed to imitate humans in real life. An NPC like Alaunar would only possess the mental capacity of a child. It was very easy for Ye Ci’s tricks to work on the boy.

Alaunar’s decision to reveal his secret to Ye Ci after a short moment of hesitation was well within Ye Ci’s expectations, “Can you help keep the secret for me, Elf?”

“Of course.” Ye Ci nodded. She had always kept her promises to the NPCs. After all, isn’t that the rules of the game?

“I am indeed a Warrior, but I’ve always performed badly in battle because of my weak physique. I’m interested in magic, and would always sneak up on Lord Dalufar as he practiced his magics in the middle of the night. That was why I was able to erect the totems just now.” Alaunar blushed a deep shade of red. It was apparent that he was embarrassed by his actions.

“Well, it’s a good thing! Why must you keep it a secret?” Ye Ci agreed that Aluanar was not suitable as a Warrior. She had seen mages with strong physiques, but never Warriors that were weak and sickly thin. How could a Warrior who looked as if he would be blown over by a strong gust of wind be expected to hold the line against ferocious monsters?

Alaunar immediately shook his head, “No no no no no...”

“Why is that?”