Tristan

Despite his fear, Tristan kept his head and immediately activated [Rivalry], which would reduce all the damage he was definitely about to take by 15%. When paired with his [Lone Defender], he'd have a pretty huge, consistent 20% damage reduction.

He hoped that was enough.

The eyeless, alabaster-skinned demon general closed in quickly, pace not slowing at all. Perhaps it thought to plow right through Tristan. Its antlers swung back and forth violently, threatening to take the swordsmith's head off as it came into range. He kept his greatsword poised between them, trying to gauge whether its reach was shorter or longer than the demon's.

All around them, the few remaining animal defenders were engaged with elemental invaders. Combined with the countless corpses from both sides, there wasn't much room for maneuvering or escape.

The demon general gave a blood-curdling roar, bringing all four bone-covered arms to bear on Tristan.

The first punch came with far more power than he'd expected--or was prepared for. Despite getting his sword in front of the attack and bracing himself, the punch still lifted him off the ground and sent him flying backward, triggering his breastplate's [Tempered Spirit] and still removing a quarter of his health.

But Tristan didn't have time to think about that before the general advanced on him again. This time all four claws came for him in an alternating attack pattern. He tried to stay just out of their range, his blade dancing like a ballerina, but the general was as quick as it was powerful.

Two claws came together in a pincer that he barely ducked under, while a third strike lashed out that he managed to deflect with his blade, but that brought him face to fist with the fourth claw, connecting in an uppercut that once again lifted him into the air.

His back thudded to the ground, colliding with a pile of dead beasts that managed to cushion his fall somewhat. He couldn't take a moment to compose himself though; the general was already on him again. He just barely managed to roll away from a crushing stomp that fully disintegrated the bodies that had cushioned him.

Get up, he told himself. Get up or you'll be next!

He dodged two more stomps with deft rolls. Then he managed to swing his legs around, sweeping his sword toward the demon general with the maneuver. The threat of his blade barely bought him enough time to find his footing and stand upright.

The demon cocked back all four of its fists again, clearly about to unload more punches aimed to shatter him.

But rather than try a traditional block this time, Tristan slightly turned his blade and let the first striking arm run right down its edge. Fresh crimson sprang up along the limb, and the creature drew back with a hiss.

For the first time in this parody of a duel, when Tristan moved, the demon followed. He was in control, and he used that control to move the fight away from the Flaming Willow.

Unfortunately, the now-slightly-wounded demon came back, howling louder than ever. Its attack pattern also shifted, now mixing quick swipes in among the punches. Apparently thirty more seconds had passed, as Tristan once again saw his [Tempered Spirit] trigger, and he only took half of the damage of the next slash across his thigh.

His sword flowed from side to side, clashing with increasingly bloody talons at seemingly every step. He knew he was in trouble. With so few openings, he definitely wasn't dealing enough damage to the monster to have the healing of his sword's [Minor Rune: Siphoning] keep up with the pain it was inflicting back.

His sword blocked two more claws, and he outright jumped over the third, but the fourth pushed up midair and beat his guard, cutting into his right side.

He cried out reflexively, pulling away from the pain as fast as he could, but the blood dripping down his leg and onto the ground was his. The next attack came all too quickly. Again two strikes occupied his blade while the third--a feint this time--opened his defenses further, letting the fourth attack slip past his guard and straight into his guts.

His sword grew heavy in his hands as the talon withdrew with a malicious twist, but Tristan refused to crumple. He refused to collapse. He stared up into the horned horror's face, gritted his teeth, and refused to back down.

"You will not break me," he said, spitting blood, "and when my friends arrive, you are so dead."

As if on cue, a green flicker of light heralded the arrival of a humongous heal, which could only have come from Opie. He could feel his skin knitting back together, his muscles no longer complaining as loudly, and his energy flowing back into him. He was once again strong enough that his sword felt light as a feather. He could do this!

Then the booming, painful voice seemed to shake the entire realm again.

"FOOLISH, BUT ADMIRABLE, MORTALS. I SEE YOU WILL NOT HELP ME EXTINGUISH THE TREE. FINE! MERELY STAND ASIDE! THOUGH YOUR REWARDS WILL BE REDUCED, ONE OF THEM WILL BE YOUR MISERABLE LIVES. MY FIGHT NEED NOT BE WITH YOU. LET MY MINIONS PASS!"

The moment his ears started working again, Tristan realized that his demon general had not waited, but rather had resumed marching toward Cinderbark.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tristan called. With a running start, he leapt high into the air, activated [Blade Echo], swung the beautiful black-and-white blade deftly over his head, and brought it down with all his might in an echoed [Descending Crescent].

The demon general didn't have a chance to block, and the attack cut straight into its antlered head, twice. The demon immediately whipped around, nearly jerking the sword out of Tristan's grip. But he held fast and true. Another perk of high Strength.

As the demon spun, it did manage to wrench the greatsword free of its head--but not without loss. The sword took with it one of the sharpened antlers.

The demon snarled, staring briefly at the once-proud, now-severed piece of its crown. Then it lunged for Tristan.

There was still a little time remaining on [Blade Echo], and Tristan was eager to use it. Taking another page from Jamal's book, he decided to defend by attacking, trying to cause as much damage as he could, especially to the demon's legs in an attempt to slow it down.

He made two heavy sideways slashes, followed by an nearly-overhead chop, and while each of the first two splattered blood across the grass, it was the third that made him smile. The demon had actually gone to block it, not recognizing the danger of Tristan's buffed state.

The main third attack managed to be deflected, but its echo cut straight through the defending claw, which fell to the ground almost on top of the severed antler.

The monster howled in rage and pain, but it was clear that this newest injury only made it more reckless. Much like a wolf, it crouched to the ground on its remaining limbs, before springing forward markedly faster than before, lunging for Tristan yet again.

Tristan barely twisted out of the way, getting his sword up just enough to deflect the charge of the spiky shoulder that had been aiming for his middle.

That was when he heard Sophie's voice calling out to him, and from not nearly as far away as he might have thought.

"Tristan! Bring it to us!"

He didn't want to take his eyes off the general, who was already rounding on him again, clearly preparing for another lunge, but he could still follow her instruction.

He brought his sword up once again and merely waited. He could be patient for just a few seconds more, until the general made its next leaping attack.

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When it came, he was ready, and he rushed forward to meet it, trying to swing himself past the demon's right side, hoping to glance off of its armored hide and bring himself closer to his allies. He knew his [Tempered Spirit] was off cooldown again, and he was not afraid to risk another big hit to move to his team as quickly as possible. He'd already taken several, and was now fully healed. One strike was no longer a threat.

His aggression seemed to surprise the demon, and his sword was able to deflect one of its talons, but another found a way around his guard and into his side. It didn't quite pierce his breastplate--though it did deform it some. The impact also took a sizable chunk of his health, along with triggering his defensive buff.

But his movement meant the general had to pivot and swing around to come after him. That meant Tristan found himself in a position with an actual line toward safety, all while still holding the demon's attention.

Clearly furious, it was all too happy to give chase, not realizing the danger to itself.

He started backpedaling toward his allies as fast as he dared go, which was definitely faster than was strictly wise. If he was going to not just survive but win, he needed their help.

He tried to dodge every incoming attack while also occasionally slashing out whenever he could. He had to keep the eyeless monster's attention, after all. He also knew that he couldn't drag the general too close to his allies, because even if it hadn't mattered so far during its duel with Tristan, he knew many of its attacks splashed damage onto nearby targets too.

As the demon finished another now-three-slash combo, which Tristan had finally found a way to slip completely away from unscathed, it surprised him by leaping into the air, aiming straight for the center of his body as it extended all three of its remaining razor-sharp arms wide. It almost looked like it wanted to give him a hug--the most painful hug of his life.

But just before it could wrap him in its piercing embrace, a familiar, reinforced shield slid between the claws and Tristan's face, with its bearer following an instant later. Drannis's voice boomed from right behind him.

"I'll take it from here, Tristan! Great work, young man!"

Then he bellowed at the demon, as it recoiled back, "C'mon you stupid gap-faced demon! If whatever spawned you had any eyes, they'd be weeping over how pathetic you are right now!"

The eyeless face and horned body stared down at the smaller but more aggressive dwarf, and Tristan couldn't help but marvel at the power of a good [Taunt].

He felt his shoulders sag as the weight of responsibility finally slid off of him. He'd done it. He'd held out long enough.

A heartbeat later, Xanax was beside him, the glow of his blade rapidly dulling now that its previous target was only a memory. "You did a foolhardy thing, my friend, but brave, too. It may have saved our run. Now, let's kill this monster, and prepare for the final phase!"

The way he said it made Tristan wonder at something, so he asked it aloud: "Wait, but what about the fourth general?"

"Yours is the fourth general," Xanax said with a grin. "Drannis was able to pull the other upon seeing your brave maneuver, and now all others lay dead! Laura made short work of the third with a fortunate string of fierce crits. My blade barely got warmed up."

Tristan took another haggard breath. He was very glad not to have to deal with another general once this one fell. But first this one needed to die, and he would enjoy killing the blessed thing.

With Xanax at his side--and all the spellcasters chain casting from a safe distance--the bone-armored general didn't even last long enough for [Tempered Spirit] to come back off cooldown. It was almost disappointing, since the monster had been such a handful for Tristan.

But that's why raids can be so much better than going solo, he reminded himself. We each have our own roles, and we all cover each other's weaknesses.

Tristan checked his timer and was surprised to see that there were still a couple minutes left.

"Clean up the remaining adds," Drannis was now calling. "Ranged, eliminate that stack of rodents on Mister Biggs. Melee, get back to Cross to finish the larger beasts. Laura, fry the water elementals."

Clearly, with all four demon generals down, the most important part was just not to get overrun by the swarm of smaller enemies. Their numbers had built up a bit, thanks to all the damage being focused on the bigger threats, but that only lasted so long.

"FORTY-FIVE SECONDS left in Phase 1!" Chessa called out.

The end-of-phase mop-up actually proved really enjoyable for Tristan. At last, he could see the enemy numbers decreasing, instead of just piling up on the ground. When it got down to the last few groups, he couldn't help but laugh because compared to the hectic moments in the middle, this was like a vacation. There was no longer any doubt that they would finish Phase 1.

The question was about how well they would handle what came next.

The Great Wave Surges!

The notification appeared exactly as the Phase 1 timer hit zero. It was accompanied by the sounds of creaking and breaking trees and the roar of intense winds. As his shaggy hair began blowing erratically before his face, Tristan could feel that the demon was near, just as the notification warned.

Then the enormous water demon broke through the last line of trees, coming just to the edge of the clearing where the battle had been waged. It was at last close enough that Tristan could see all of it--and just how massive it truly was.

[Krushyl-Threks'nalik, level 23] {{The Great Wave}}

"How in the gods' names are you supposed to pronounce that?" asked Kitara, who was already floating toward Sophie's shoulder.

"That's why everyone just calls it the freaking water demon," Opie replied.

"Why not 'The Great Wave'?" Tristan asked.

"Because no one really likes that title," Manama replied matter-of-factly, "and the boss tends to be a run-killer. So people denigrate it with the less epic-sounding name."

Drannis called out, "We must focus! Drink, rebuff, and prepare. It's about to monologue. Then we'll have Phase 2."

Sophie had already begun the process of switching out Mister Biggs for, Tristan assumed, Poof, given the need to push more damage in the next phase.

Only moments later, the sky high water demon unhinged its jaw, and the painful bellowing voice issued forth once again. It was so loud that Tristan had to cover his ears, but even that hardly helped. He still felt each word vibrating through his entire body.

"BEHOLD, KRUSHYL-THREKS'NALIK, THE TSUNAMI OF TERROR, THE ENDLESS HURRICANE, THE GREAT WAVE! I HAVE COME TO TAKE WHAT IS MINE! BOW BEFORE ME, MORTALS! BOW, OR MEET YOUR END!"

For a moment, Tristan considered how many people had actually made it this far just to fall to the water demon. He remembered Kitara's comment about new raiders, and he knew this was where the raid's difficulty could take a sharp step up. A faint worry began to claw at him.

But then a raid message came through that actually made him feel better.

Opie: Does he have to yell at us? I could hear him perfectly well at like a quarter of this volume. Opie: And do you think he'd be cool with us calling him "Crushy?"

The ridiculousness of Opie's casualness was startling. Tristan actually saw Chessa laughing at that remark, not rolling her eyes at all!

Opie's comment also seemed to have affected the others. No longer looking unsteady, most of them were now straightening up and staring straight at the massive water demon. Their body language had transformed from weary to defiant.

In fact, Drannis took two steps forward, clearly not yielding at all. "We shall do no such thing, water demon!" the dwarf shouted.

"Crushy!" Opie added.

Drannis, hardly pausing after Opie's comment, added, "We have come to protect this tree!"

"STILL YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN STAND AGAINST ME?" What followed was a rumbling, bubbling laugh that caused the winds to rip around them even faster. "YOU THINK THAT DEFEATING THOSE PALTRY MINIONS HAS PREPARED YOU FOR COMBAT WITH ME?!" The laughter grew more raucous, and the earth beneath them all shook.

"YOU ARE MINNOWS, WHILE I AM THE OCEAN. I HAVE STOOD AND WATCHED FOR A THOUSAND YEARS AS THE POTENTIAL OF THIS MIGHTY MOUNTAIN HAS BEEN WASTED. NO LONGER! IT IS TIME TO THROW OFF THE WEAK IMPERMANENCE OF FIRE AND EMBRACE THE CRUSHING INEVITABILITY OF THE SEA! BEAR WITNESS TO BUT A FRACTION OF MY POWER!"

With a single lifted hand, the swirling tempest within the water demon's core seemed to spin faster and faster. A bright blue began to shine from within it, rising up through its middle before passing through its shoulder, down its arm, and finally appearing like a perfect whirlpool-esque sphere in its hand.

Tristan knew what was coming, just like he knew what he was supposed to do next. He could still hear Chessa's instructions from their planning.

"Kill as many adds as you can, as that damage will carry over to weaken him later. But whatever you do, don't fall behind! The wave following in the demon's wake will wash you out of the whole raid if you're lucky--and it'll kill you if you're not!"

But when suddenly a stream of water burst forth from the sphere, arcing through the air, straight for Cinderbark... When that stream struck the crown of the Flaming Willow... When it began to slowly but completely extinguish the beautiful flames of the majestic tree...

It didn't matter that he knew this was coming. Now that he was seeing it with his own two eyes...

He was horrified.

Dark thunderheads rolled out seemingly from nowhere, darkening the entire sky. The water demon laughed as the first drops of rain began to pelt downward. Thunder cracked the silence, and the world shook.

"NOW TO CLAIM MY BOUNTY!" the demon bellowed as its feet were replaced by a hurricane-like vortex of surging water and it began to slide forward above the ground.

"Phase 2!" Chessa called as the downpour began.

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