Liliana activated [Aspect Of The Beast] and [Radiant Revelry] in tandem as she flew. There was no point in waiting to use her Quintessential skills, not when facing something like this. As she got within range her [Identify] finally activated and it was only thanks to [Battle Clarity] that she didn’t fall from the sky in her shock.

Zorroth

Son of Strength

Fiend

Age: 234

Level: 310

Born in fire and darkness, Zorroth clawed his way towards strength. Knowing strength was the only thing that could save him from his kin, who would as soon consume him as offer conditional aid, Zorroth hoarded his strength. He grew and overcame all who came before him, building his power with every conquest. A Fiend that seeks only to add more strength to himself, Zorroth will not hesitate to cut down those in his way, or to kill those whose power would be better served in his hands. As with all Fiends, he is never to be trusted, for he only serves himself. Never turn your back on him, for he will not hesitate to sink a blade into your heart.

Rank: 3

Health: 35,750

Energy: 47,500

The Fiend was at a higher level than any of them, even Serenity. Liliana didn’t have time to feel the fear that tried to shatter through [Battle Clarity]. She had no choice any longer but to fight. She could only hope that [Radiant Revelry] would work. Fiends were dark creatures, and his stats said he had focused on the physical side. Hopefully, his Intelligence would be low enough for her skill to work. She’d never dared to try it on something so many levels higher than her before.

As the light of her skill washed over the Fiend that was crawling out of the crater left after Emyr’s attack, Zorroth froze. His unearthly eyes, black as pitch with lines of fiery red threaded through like veins, took on a golden hue. Liliana let out a relieved breath.

“He’s under my control, until we get him to forty percent health,” Liliana informed her teammates, frowning when she felt something in her mind tug.

He’s fighting the control. Liliana realized, horror washing weakly through her, filtered by her skill. Nothing had ever fought her skill before, or if they had, she’d never felt it. Then again, she’d never tried to control something sixty levels and an entire rank above her. She’d never been reckless enough to try it, and now that she had, she feared the consequences of her rash actions and overconfidence. She hadn’t even considered there were penalties in place for attempting a puppeteering skill, even a Quintessential skill, on something a rank above her. On what was essentially a final dungeon boss.

The tug in her mind persisted, turning almost painful as the Fiend fought her control and Liliana felt panic itching at the edges of the barricades [Battle Clarity] put up in her mind. She wasn’t sure if she could keep the Fiend under her control for much longer, let alone long enough for her teammates and her to get it to forty percent health. A third tug felt like nails scratching through the inside of her mind, sending sparks of white across her vision.

“It’s fighting me. I don’t know how much longer I can hold it,” Liliana sent out, hovering in the air as her attention focused on keeping her control.

She didn’t have time to dissect what was going on, to wonder too deeply at the why behind her skill failing her. It always either worked or didn’t based on the Intelligence of the targets. It never glitched out like this. The unexpected failure combined with the slipping control sent a wave of fear leaking through [Battle Clarity] that had her dipping in the air.

“Keep hold. Rest will attack.” Lelantos sent to her, an order likely translated from Alistair, working out a new strategy as the first plan went, predictably, sideways. Liliana nodded her head, though no one was looking to see it as she tried to force her own will on the Fiend below her, standing utterly still, not showing any signs of the battle for control going on in his mind and Liliana’s.

Liliana didn’t feel so much as sense as the first attacks hit the Fiend. Nemesis bursting from the ground, urging the earth to swallow and crush the Fiend, bones breaking and cracking. Polaris flying down from on high, fangs coated in chaotic flames, claws soaked in chaos as he bit, and rent, and tore. Alistair slicing down with a glowing blade, Lelantos wrapping terrifying jaws around the Fiend to crush and destroy. Fire and stars falling and burning. Music filling the area, harsh notes that sung of victory and power.

If Liliana had the mental capacity to spare from the fight that demanded every spare scrap of concentration, she’d have noticed Corbin using a lute rather than his usual flute, his voice rising to accompany it. She’d note how odd it was, how he only ever did that when things were getting really bad and he had to actually try. But as it was, Liliana only noticed the presence of the music itself, and the effect it had. The effect every attack had on the Fiend and on her tenuous grasp on control.

Every attack was a jolt in her mind, her control shaking each time the Fiend’s Health dipped. Liliana stopped focusing on anything around her as her eyes closed, falling into her own mind as she searched out the place where she was connected to the Fiend through her skill. It felt like a golden rope, spooling out of her and linking to the Fiend’s head. She could sense a darkness around it, chewing at the rope, fraying its edges.

Liliana grabbed hold of the rope with everything she had. It felt like holding onto barbed wire, with the way it bit into her and sent jolts of pain through her mind. Liliana clenched her jaw and tightened her hold, sending waves of her own Mana down the connection, reinforcing the rope. She had Mana to spare, borrowing as she was from Polaris. Yet even with her Mana shoring up the connection, each hit the Fiend took frayed the connection, sawing through the rope. She could feel it fraying and Liliana knew they didn’t have much time at all before the Fiend regained his control.

Liliana’s eyes flew open as she felt the connection hanging on by a bare thread. She had to do something before the Fiend broke free. There wasn’t time for her to second guess, to consider the fact that she’d never tried to do this. To let guilt mire her down at what she was planning. She could mourn the loss of her morals later, when they all got out of this alive.

Regret was for the living, after all. Not the dead.

Liliana focused all she could on the Fiend, pushing one last order through the tattered connection they had left. One order that could end this fight here and now. That could see them all getting out of this with no casualties, no injuries, no pain.

Cut your own throat.

It was the only order Liliana could get through. As her order passed through the connection, it snapped under the strain, part of it rebounding on Liliana. A sharp spike of burning pain lanced through her mind, sheering through her thoughts and sending her reeling.

Warning! Using a skill on a creature a rank above you has resulted in failure and counter Soul damage. A damage over time debuff has been applied for the next hour, -1.5% health every second.

Liliana cursed as her pain scrambled thoughts came back together enough to register what she was seeing. The debuff had effectively neutralized her natural Health regeneration while giving her additional damage.

Quick mental calculations told her she’d be taking a little over twenty-three damage every second, and already she could see her health lowering in her peripherals. She’d be dead in five minutes at that rate if she didn’t do anything. Liliana activated [Regeneration], seeing her Health climb back up. That should keep her alive, but now she’d need to depend on the skill if she got injured again.

Warmth trickling down her face and neck prompted Liliana to raise a hand to her face. Wiping away at the suspicious wetness Liliana pulled her hand back enough to see it coated in red. She swiped at her neck and discovered the same thing. She was bleeding from her nose and ears, and she suspected that until the debuff ran out, it would continue. Liliana licked at soaked lips and scowled at the taste of iron that coated her tongue.

Liliana looked back towards the Fiend and cursed viciously. It was still standing, though it had one hand pressed to its head as if it was suffering from a migraine like Liliana. Its throat was bloody, as if it had started to fulfill Liliana’s order only to stop part way through. A part of Liliana was darkly satisfied to see that. After the pain it had inflicted on her, it deserved some suffering of its own. Whatever guilt she felt from what she had tried to do was hidden beneath layers of [Battle Clarity].

“I couldn’t hold it, I have a debuff now from using my skill on it,” Liliana communicated to her team, wincing as it sent another sharp dagger of pain slicing through her mind once more sending her thoughts scrambling like glass shattered on the ground.

Warning! Using Soul or Psyche skills while suffering from the Rebound Debuff will result in -5% health for each use.

Liliana stared at the notification in disbelief, for a moment wanting to curse out the System. It was punishing her so harshly for using her Quintessential skill against something a rank above her? She’d never heard of such a thing, and now she’d suffer damage each time she had to contact her teammates? Or talk to her bonds? She’d need to endure the pain. The ability to effectively communicate with her teammates and bonds was too important to lose, no matter what it cost her personally.

“Next Plan, attack,” Lelantos’ voice came to her, with more searing pain burning through Liliana’s mind. Her Health dipped down again and Liliana hissed at it, and the next notification box that popped up with another warning.

“Shut up. I know I’m taking damage,” Liliana growled, mentally sending all warning notifications to the side.

She’d have to cope if something else happened that warranted a warning notification and hope it didn’t kill her. She had to hastily send up flimsy mental barriers she could only hope her bonds wouldn’t notice to keep her pain from translating through to them. They couldn’t afford the loss of effective communications, or for her bonds’ attention to shift for even a second.

Shaking her head to try to banish some of the pain still making her vision blurry at the edges, Liliana focused back on the fight before her. The Fiend was recovering, summoning a huge twisted blade that looked like it was made of some gigantic beast’s blackened bones. A femur, if she wasn’t mistaken, sharpened to hold an edge. It was as big as the Fiend, yet the creature wielded it with an ease that spoke of high Strength.

The Fiend’s pitch and fire eyes were focused on Liliana, blazing with a hatred so overwhelming Liliana mentally wrapped [Empathy] up tight so it wouldn’t reach out and drown her under the force of the emotions she saw in the creature’s eyes. A cold trickle of fear leaked through [Battle Clarity] and Liliana knew the Fiend was aware of what she’d done, what she’d tried to do.

The Fiend let out an unholy shriek that grated against Liliana’s ears. The sound was inhuman. The screams of the damned twisting together into an unearthly wail. Liliana was certain it was some type of fear skill, meant to freeze opponents in place.

The Fiend’s wings pumped, and it took to the air, eyes locked on Liliana. Nemesis rose from the earth, trying to wrap the beast in her coils and keep it on the ground. The Fiend barely seemed to notice, breaking free of the coils and tossing Nemesis aside as if she weighed nothing, the serpent hissing in pain as something broke when she was thrown against the ground. Polaris flew at him, breathing [Chaos Breath] across the Fiend’s wings, but was forced to swerve away when the macabre sword was slashed at him, barely avoiding losing a tail.

Liliana cursed when the Fiend sped through the air like an arrow, locked onto her. She dropped low as she summoned her swords back to her from where they’d fallen while she was focused on the Fiend and her pain. The Fiend was fast pursuing her, but its Speed was lower than hers, still bolstered from the stats she’d borrowed from Polaris.

“What kind of tanks are you? Get it off my ass!” Liliana shouted as she flew over Lelantos and Alistair, her swords blazing brightly as she turned sharply, the Fiend slower to course correct. Polaris followed behind it, able to keep up with it easily as he harried it, Chaos raining down on it. But the Fiend had eyes only for Liliana.

“Stop drawing its aggro!” Alistair shouted back at her.

“Apparently my existence draws its aggro.” Liliana shot her brother a dirty glare as she twisted, sending her swords at the Fiend to hold it back. Its sword clashed with hers and Liliana shivered at the power she saw there. It sent her swords flying back with each stroke of that twisted blade. It was clear where the majority of the Fiend’s stats had been allocated. Strength. She couldn’t afford to take even one hit from the Fiend.

“Hold it still, so your mage can hit it.” Serenity’s voice came through Liliana’s mind, pain spiking with each word. Her wings faltered and Liliana dipped in the air. She barely twisted out of the way of the Fiend, who had caught up to her in her moment of pained distraction. It was too close now, sword swinging at her head with so much power behind it the air screamed.

“Alistair, get it off me!” Liliana shouted out as her swords converged a scarce foot in front of her, blades shining bright with [Radiant Edge] and [Radiant Ignition].

The explosion from the blades sent Liliana and the Fiend flying in opposite directions. Liliana couldn’t regain her balance in the air as she tumbled head over heels until her back collided painfully with a tree, her body breaking the thick trunk and sending it toppling behind her. She felt the dulled snap of bones breaking much like the tree had. She couldn’t hear it fall, but she could feel the thunderous quake that shook through her body, jostling her broken body and sending waves of dulled pain through her.

Alistair shouted something at her that Liliana couldn’t entirely pick out as [Regeneration] worked to heal her burst eardrums from the explosions. She heard Lelantos muffled roar and the Fiend, which had tumbled through the air and into the ground several hundred feet from Liliana, stumbled to its feet, hate-filled eyes focusing on the two tanks. Finally.

A hand landing on Liliana’s shoulder jolted her, a pained groan emerging from tightly pressed lips. She registered that it was Corbin a moment later, and she relaxed infinitesimally. He raised his lute and then his fingers started to move across it, his lips shaping words. Slowly, Liliana felt the refreshing cool of healing magic sink under her skin. Her hearing came back first, an uncomfortable pressure followed by a near audible pop. The sounds of battle flooded her ears immediately afterwards, sounding all the more loud for her inability to hear for even a minute.

The healing magic combined with [Regeneration] was working overtime to handle the damage from the Rebound Debuff, and the physical damage she’d just taken by setting off what amounted to a pipe bomb a foot in front of herself. Her own skills couldn’t hurt her, but the force of it most certainly could, as could the tree she’d plowed into.

Corbin frowned between his verses as he saw how long it was taking to heal her. Music rolled cross the torn up clearing, sweet and gentle as it washed over Liliana, her health jumping back up as the various wounds she’d already accumulated healed. Bruises, broken bones, scrapes and cuts.

Liliana slowly climbed to her feet when she felt the uncomfortable snap and pop of her broken ankle healing. Feathers fell from her wings, dislodged by the explosion and collision. A surge of Mana to the skill had the feathers regenerating, and Liliana jumped back into the air with a thankful nod to the bard.

“Corbin, focus on healing songs. I take damage every time I use [Telepathy] or one of my Bonds talks to me,” Liliana sent to Corbin, gritting her teeth through the way it felt like she’d stabbed herself in the eye with a hot poker. The bard nodded at her from the ground as his hand kept strumming his lute and his voice rose with the chorus of the song he had chosen.

Liliana turned her attention back to the Fiend, which was fixated on Alistair and Lelantos. The Ephemeral Tiger was taking the majority of the damage, higher level that he was. But it was obvious why Fiends were only ever seen in dungeons as final boss creatures. It was chipping down at Lelantos’ Health steadily, dangerously.

It was stronger than Lelantos, that much was clear in the way it batted the tiger around as if he was a misbehaving kitten, and not more than three times the Fiend’s size. Alistair was only still standing thanks to his skills and Lelantos taking the lion’s share of the Fiend’s attention. But Lelantos was limping, hide stained red with blood and marred with slashes and deep cuts. He couldn’t maintain the Fiend’s attention for long, and if he had to back off, Alistair would only survive a scant handful of minutes before he fell.

“Nem, can you fight?” Liliana sent, ignoring the way her mind screamed under the pain. Blood flooded from her nose, painting her face like a mask.

“I have healed enough,” Nemesis sent back, her words sending waves of pain through Liliana. She ignored it best she could, even as her flight turned clumsy under the assault.

[Pain Resistance] had coddled Liliana for so long that feeling real pain, undiluted like this, was wreaking havoc on her ability to think. [Battle Clarity] was scarcely able to keep her focused under the continuous onslaught. Her thoughts were fracturing more and more with each psychic attack, and it was a struggle to even put a single coherent thought together.

Liliana whistled, gaining Polaris’ attention rather than reaching out to him mentally. The Kitsune wheeled away from the Fiend to her side in second, thankfully seeming to sense Liliana’s wish to not speak mentally.

“Double trouble, Polaris.” Liliana instructed verbally.

The Kitsune nodded, a toothy grin on his vulpine face. They’d practiced this maneuverer enough times that they didn’t need to discuss it. It was one of Liliana’s favorite tactics when fighting something that could give them both a real challenge.

Lelantos roared once more, refreshing the aggro of the Fiend and grabbing its sword between his jaws. Before the Fiend could rip his sword out, Nemesis emerged from the ground behind him, jaw wide and fangs bared, venom dripping down them as she struck. Her fangs barely scratched the Fiend, its Vitality too high against her low Strength. But it didn’t stop the serpent as the earth shook under her command, grabbing at the Fiend’s feet and sending him off balance even as [Venom Cloud] burst from her, coating the Fiend and all close to her in it.

The Fiend wrenched his sword from Lelantos as he stumbled back. Lelantos roared in pain as fangs were ripped out, blood dripping down his maw. Beneath the pain, beneath [Battle Clarity], rage ignited in Liliana at the sight of one of her bonds hurt.

A burst of speed had her meeting the Fiend as it turned to Nemesis, raising its sword to cut into the serpent. Eight swords rose, burning with radiant light as they blocked the hit. Metal screamed, light burst, and metal shattered as Liliana met the full strength of the Fiend.

One of her swords went flying, the blade broken. The Fiend met her eyes, hatred suffusing his face and eyes as Liliana bared bloody fangs at him in a parody of a grin.

“Let’s dance,” Liliana murmured as her swords pulled back and the Fiend charged at her.

Liliana smirked as she activated [Position Swap], and suddenly the Fiend was no longer facing a winged woman, but instead a furious Kitsune with a mouth full of chaos that he unleashed in the Fiend’s face. Liliana activated [Position Swap] again and slashed her blades down while her exploding wings that sent dagger like feathers sinking into its flesh. Burning golden light connected with the creature, scorching it and tearing into flesh where Nemesis’ fangs had found no purchase.

Dark creatures were rather weak to Light skills and spells, after all.

Falling into the familiar rhythm, Liliana and Polaris harassed the Fiend, swapping places with a dizzying speed as they tag teamed the infernal beast, dancing around his strikes and blows that held the power to end them in a single strike if allowed to hit. Alistair and Lelantos joined the fray, drawing the Fiend’s attention and distracting him while Liliana and Polaris drained its Health.

Nemesis kept his footing unsure, earth opening and closing, bucking beneath the Fiend’s feet and keeping him off balance. Poison filled the air, cloying and clinging as it coated them all. Fire crackled and burned, stars fell in the scarce moments where no one was touching the Fiend. And above it all music swelled and wrapped around them all, bolstering their team and weakening the Fiend.

Steadily, through the combined effort of them all, the Health of the Fiend started dropping steadily. With its attention split between five combatants, it was unable to counterattack effectively, as every time it tried to focus on one of them, another would draw its ire.

The Fiend roared, rage taking over him as he activated the one skill all beasts had, [Enrage]. Liliana cursed to herself as she swapped with Polaris, sending her swords at the Fiend even as he charged at Lelantos, his sword connecting with the tiger’s side and sending him flying. The sound of bones breaking, shattering, filled Liliana’s ears as her bond hit the ground, collapsing.

“Serenity!” Liliana screamed through the bond, seeing Lelantos’ Health turn dangerously red. The pain that shot through her head had nothing on the fear and rage that broke through her [Battle Clarity].

The Fiend turned to Alistair, the last tank left standing, and Liliana rushed the beast, drawing its attention to her with bright swords and whirling naginata. With effort, Liliana kept the Fiend’s attention on her, Polaris and Nemesis as Alistair worked to evacuate Lelantos from the battlefield. Their swaps became so fast-paced as they appeared and vanished around the Fiend that Liliana was working almost entirely on instinct as she struck and slashed.

Fire licked over the Fiend’s body, his dark skin sliced in countless places, revealing lava like blood that hissed as it dripped onto the ground. It screeched again, that sound like nails on a chalkboard to Liliana’s ravaged mind. She faltered, stumbling away and giving the Fiend a second to collect itself. [Perception] screamed and Liliana barely pulled up her remaining seven swords and [barrier] in time to block the wash of flames as the Fiend spun in place, its sword held out as flames spewed forth from the bone blade.

Distantly, Liliana heard Corbin yelp as his music paused. She spared a glance to see him frantically patting at his body, where it had been set alight by the far-reaching flames. It would’ve been humourous, the way he ran around cursing, had it been any other situation. As it was, she redirected her attention back to the Fiend, who had gained some distance after its attack. It screeched again, and Liliana winced at the pain of it.

The Fiend took back to the air, Polaris following as radiant wings burst from Liliana’s back and she pursued. It was a reckless choice, tactically speaking, and Liliana knew that, but they couldn’t give the Fiend the high ground. Nemesis was on the ground unable to reach the Fiend, Alistair focused on ensuring Lelantos survived. It was only Polaris and Liliana in the air with the Fiend. Chaos and Fire clashed, Light and Darkness waged war as bond and tamer worked in tandem against the Fiend.

Liliana sent a [Hail Of Bullets] on the tail of the swing of her naginata. Polaris took her place, slashing with [Entropic Claws] and a wave of [Turmoil Blight]. The Fiend’s Health was dropping, the effort of so many dragging him down to where he had scarcely a fraction of his original Health left.

He’s almost dead. Liliana thought as she switched again, seven swords glowing as she used [Galeforce] to send the Fiend back into the blades. Polaris took her place, lunging after the Fiend, wings beating cursed winds at the creature with [Wings of Bedlam]. Liliana switched again, using [Blink] to appear behind the Fiend and slashing at a ragged, bloody wing. Her glowing blade severed the limb, and the Fiend fell from the air, Liliana and Polaris following it, the scent of blood in their noses.

Nemesis rose from the ground, jaws open wide to catch the Fiend as it fell.

“Nemesis! No!” Liliana screamed as she watched the Fiend twist seconds before it would connect with Nemesis, turning so its sword was positioned to impale the serpent.

There wasn’t enough time for Nemesis to evade it, and the strike would slice straight through her body. Serenity couldn’t heal Nemesis if she was cut in two. Without a thought, Liliana activated [Position Swap] even as a cacophony of voices yelled in her mind, the agony of it shattering her thoughts as she changed positions with Nemesis.

The pain in her mind almost washed out the pain of the enormous sword driving through her gut. Almost overrode the agony of it twisting, dragging, ripping her organs apart as it was torn back out of her. Liliana stumbled, falling to her knees, naginata falling from her hands as she gripped at the hole in her abdomen. Blood bubbled out of her mouth. She couldn’t tell if it was coming from her nose or the internal bleeding. A breath in resulted in a wet cough that filled her mouth further with blood.

Under the rushing thunder of blood in her ears, Liliana thought she heard a scream, a roar, a shriek. As the blood ran out of her like a river of crimson, Liliana lifted her head, mind a jumble of pain and the edges of her vision going dark.

Alistair was standing in front of her, shield raised high. Beyond him were Polaris and Nemesis, the serpent holding the weakened and battered Fiend in the ground as Polaris ravaged him. Above them, stars were falling, their light blinding as they struck, Polaris and Nemesis jumping back just in time. Liliana blinked, the roaring in her ears drowning out all other sounds as she swayed.

Her body was cold. Had it been that cold out? She couldn’t quite remember.

“Stupid, reckless, self-sacrificing child,” a voice broke into her mind, accompanied by lancing waves of pain. Liliana swayed again, falling back on the ground when her body could no longer support her.

“Sleep, I will fix you. I’ll watch over you, rest,” the voice that brought pain told her and Liliana wasn’t sure if it was the order, or if her mind simply could no longer handle the pain it was under, but she obeyed. Darkness consumed her eagerly, and finally there was no more pain.