Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 23

Ironhide calmly lifted his shield and angled himself so his body was behind it. With his other hand, he raised his sword, its blade parallel to the ground.

"Come on!" He bellowed, his voice thundering across the courtyard. Not only was the tank's shout deafening, it was primal and aggressive to the point the Severance actually took a step back instinctively. Goosebumps lifted on his arms.

The wolf bared its teeth in response, a low snarl deep in its throat. It got to its feet, head lowering and hackles rising. Its tail lifted into a dominant position.

"Stay back," Ironhide warned, and then he charged towards the wolf. It bounded forward and they met in a clash of fang and shield. Despite the size and weight of the wolf, Ironhide didn't flinch back. He planted himself like a mountain, immovable and enduring.

"Ready!"

At Ironhide's shout, Valentin leaped. He came down on the wolf, the pointy side of his glaive striking first. Then he landed and jabbed it again, before launching himself backwards. His boots touched down softly not far from where Severance stood. The whole thing took about four seconds.

The wolf snarled and lunged at Ironhide. Its head rammed into the tank's shield, shoving him back. Severance couldn't quite see how, but that shove somehow swallowed about a quarter of Ironhide's health.

Wow. Green wind swirled around Severance as he quickly called upon Earth Dance. "Mend!"

"My turn!" Awesome Dude darted past. "Rush!"

He became little more than a blur of shadow, rushing to the wolf at a speed that Severance could barely follow. Awesome Dude appeared behind it and lifted both hands, his mean-looking claw blades arcing over his fingers.

"Venom Claw," he shouted and slashed the wolf with both sets of claws.

There was a burst of foul green fumes around the wound. The wolf yelped and immediately spun around to retaliate.

With a wild laugh, Awesome Dude called "Shadewalk!" There was no visible change, but he seemed to be light as a feather when he twirled out of range. The wolf did its best to tear him apart, but the Shade floated around it like a ghost.

"Headshot." That was Atrocity's drawl, and a single arrow shrieked across the short distance and rammed itself into the wolf's eye. The reaction was immediate.

It yowled so loud that the ground seemed to shake beneath them. Severance staggered, and Awesome Dude yelped. He hastily backpedaled, throwing a wide-eyed look at the Wanderer.

"Hey! You're supposed to wait!"

"Huh. I must have forgot." Atrocity didn't sound like he cared much.

Severance rolled his eyes. That lack of care sounded a lot like another player he'd had to deal with in another dungeon. For Atrocity's sake, he really hoped that was just a one-time, honest mistake.

The golden glow of the wolf's eyes began to darken as froth flew from its jaws. It spun towards Ironhide.

Severance's eyes widened. That couldn't be good. "Ward!"

The bubble snapped into place around the tank just as the wolf reached him. One powerful swipe of its paws knocked his shield aside and the next tore through his armor like it was paper. Blood and offal flew up into the air.

Severance's stomach clenched as Ironhide's health plummeted low enough to start flashing orange. It continued to drop as his insides began to stretch out their legs and investigate the outside with ill-timed curiosity.

Oh no you don't.

"Mend," he gritted. The second the healing winds gathered around the tank, Severance threw out a Radiant Dome. The bubble shimmered into place, applying a regenerative effect. Every second that passed meant another tick of health returned.