The party deployed themselves at their preferred formation and started advancing towards the King. He just stood still, watching them approaching, and when they arrived at the steps of the dais on which his throne stood, he pulled his sword from somewhere on his gaudy clothes. As the party soon learned, he was a competent swordsman, rushing Maraya immediately and preventing her from raising the barrier. Michael immediately opened fire as Lucas rotated to intercept the rushing King. His hand met the sword, and with the parry skill activated he stopped the King’s attack, at the same time his other hand went to pierce him. Of course, that lame attack didn’t connect as dryad quickly sidestepped and swung quickly. Naturally, that attack also missed his mark, as Lucas dunked, evading the strike on pure Agility. Suppressed by the Michael’s fire, he couldn’t respond to Lucas’s pirouette, but Lucas also didn’t had full balance when he swung, making just a flesh wound that the King, so much over his level, didn’t even register.

“Fuck” Lucas cursed himself mentally for fumbling the easiest of strikes, and he doubled that when assassin once again emerged from the shadow to capitalize on opening he left her. Lucas felt a sharp pain in his flank as the sword emerging from the shadow struck him.

“You took 292 points of damage”

He dropped down on one knee, and only Maraya slamming into him to take a pierce meant for his neck saved his life. He recovered after the slam and activated his ultimate skill once again, aiming at the King. This time his bait was not successful as the last, as dryad assassin stepped wholly from the shadows, careful to not over commit with her sword. Lucas was forced to drop his attack, anchoring himself with his legs and taking a battle stance facing Martina. She once again started her series of attack, and Lucas once again started dodging and generally evading, opting to not use parries for mana conservation. He hoped to buy his team the time to take down the King, but that also proved as a no easy feat. He locked down Maraya, taking her blows and retaliating every time with a devastating attack that forced Hannah to expend mana to do a massive heal. When Maraya turtled up, hiding behind her shield and trying to intercept blows, he quickly outmaneuvered her to strike at the exposed backline. Michael was sent flying with a well timed swing, and Lucas was forced to ran back, activating “Punch Parry” and finally depleting his mana pool, managing to block King’s sword at the last moment, saving Hannah from decapitation. Unfortunately for Lucas, that left him outnumbered, as court assassin rejoined the fight and she and her father struck in concert, forcing Lucas backwards. His Agility was pushed to the maximum, but he still couldn’t avoid every strike, emerging from the combat with two flesh wounds on his arms and a deep gash on his thigh.

“You took 88 points of damage”

“You took 76 points of damage”

“You took 134 points of damage”

Well time shot from John saved Lucas this time, as he dropped King and bought enough time for Maraya to take Martina, disorienting her with a hit to the head. Lucas decided to take massive risk and threw a “Stinging cut”, catching the disoriented assassin in the arm and leaving a gash trough the whole length of it. She screamed, obviously in horrible pain and effect multiplied with her disorientation. King immediately rushed Lucas forcing him to dodge, but also showing him that he baited the wrong person the whole time. He took both of the bottles he had, chugging both mana and stamina potion at the same time.

“You restored 300 mana points via mana potion”

“You restored 300 stamina points via stamina potion”

While he prepared to try his new plan, Hannah also stepped through and cast a heal at him, leaving him happy at the pleasantness coursing through him.

“You are healed for 350 points”

He aimed at the female dryad, who was trying to link with her father and box out and overwhelm Maraya. When he started spinning, King was quick to react, shouting a warning and moving to intercept. Lucas gently changed course, and slammed at the elbow of the King. His momentum was overwhelming and he literarily tore King’s arm below the elbow. The sword clanked as it hit the ground, dryad holding his stump and howling in pain. Pouncing on his advantage, Lucas spun and activated “Stinging Cut”, catching King’s cheek and making a lengthy scratch. He howled in pain, and before Lucas managed to deal a killing blow, dryad assassin intercepted his strike. Before she managed to enter into her attacks, a grenade from Michael forced both of them to disengage. Michael returned to suppressing fire, slowing both of their adversaries and limiting their movement with a well timed grenades.

“True support, that guy” Lucas snickered as he prowled on the edge, staring down with both of their adversaries. He needed to somehow root them to the spot and allow John the clear shot, as he was their best instant damage dealer. He spotted his chance when Maraya activated her barrier at the right moment, blocking Martina mid – step and throwing her slightly off balance. He instantly rushed, ready to activate “Death by the thousand Cuts” and decidedly wound assassin. He landed his first few strikes before the dryad regained balance, making cuts all over her body that bled profusely. After she stabilized, however, she started to block more swings and Lucas stopped his skill, not keen on wasting his resources. He felt he was getting tired, and wasn’t ready to slip up due to fatigue and leave himself for a massive opening. He activated “Dodge” during one of the attempts at retaliatory strike, somersaulting backwards and leaving his opponent to bleed out a little. For her part, Martina quickly dissolved into the shadows, which probably had some kind of effect to slow down or suspend her bleeding.

Lucas decided to capitalize on the opportunity and ran towards the King, trying to pick up his attention. He threw a one liner about his severed arm, hoping his taunt will garner his attention. And it certainly did, King charging at him with an angry shout. Lucas started evasion maneuver, hoping to land a debilitating strike at a right time. When they danced dangerously close to one of the tables, he jumped on it, and with a quick mental command activated “Stinging Cut”, catching King at the top of the head. He immediately changed position, not interested in getting slashed by the assassin and in the meantime, John’s rifle fired, crashing into the King’s torso and missing his heart by a little. Martina immediately emerged from shadows behind John and instantly charged at him. Not managing to react on time, he took a devastating hit in the back, falling down on the ground near instantly. Lucas, blinded by rage and worry, immediately activated his “Infused piledriver” , rapidly spinning towards the assassin. She was ready however, and dissolved into the shadows, Lucas stopping himself immediately and standing guard over John. Hannah arrived soon and with a quick heal spell, John was back on his feet. Meanwhile, King also got up, his right side completely shattered. Tired of this encounter, Lucas immediately ran, once again flaring his Agility to the max, with a steel resolve to end this now. Martina once again emerged from the shadows, sharing Lucas’s will for end, just reversing the role of who should be left standing. Lucas corrected his course and they clashed, Lucas parrying her sword with a well timed punch and activating “Guiding Strike” to hit with his other hand. His rapier connected with one of the weak spots, piercing through the flank of the assassin, going in all the way to the hilt, wrecking massive damage to the internal organs of the female dryad. She screamed once, thrashed a little bit and then simply fell down, as Lucas inadvertently pierced her straight trough the hearth. Without much pomp, Lucas got a prompt to his big surprise.

“You have slain Martina, Court Assassin, Shadow Blade level 46”

“Congratulations! You are level 31 Duelist”

“Congratulations! You are level 32 Duelist”

“I have to check is there some space lotto when we finish here. This is lucky beyond belief” Lucas quickly thought to himself before becoming overcome with pride at his accomplishment. A reminder that the battle wasn’t over quickly came, as he heard a angry roar and returned to his senses in time to see dryad King charging at him, his face contorted in rage.

“Oh, how the turntables” he mentally made a joke, before starting evasion maneuver. After a short time, Lucas came to realization that the King was completely overwhelmed with grief and rage, effectively making him a dumb boar with high level. He started using this fact, tiring him out by making him charge at him through the tables and other solid objects. After a particularly nasty hit, King was a little disoriented and Lucas took the time to share with the rest of his party his current status, and they quickly came with the plan to end it.