They pass the spheres back and forth for about ten seconds, and once they explode on the players’ side, the surrounding players are killed. It really does deal a dreadful amount of damage. Meanwhile, when the players manage to toss the spheres back just in time, they merely detonate against the force field. With the wrong timing, one side or the other only gets grazed by the explosion at worst.
A few of the bombs hit the force field simultaneously. There’s a shrill cracking noise, and then the transparent force field appears to split apart, allowing light to filter through and illuminate the fissures.
“It broke!” everyone shouts.
“AOE attacks don’t work!”
The Dark Young and Blessed were able to block the majority of attacks directed at the fanatics, but the few strikes that got through hit the robed figures, instantly knocking them out.
The second round of attacks stop in midair—blocked by the new force field that’s been set back up.
“Are the fanatics just bonus enemies or something? They suck…”
“We even damaged the Blessed a little.”
“Um, is it just me, or has the time left before the Dark Young calms down increased?” I ask.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Yep, it went up.”
“We’re not allowed to break the force field? No waaay!”
“No, maybe the Dark Young’s mad that we attacked the Blessed.”
“That’s possible too. So we’re supposed to aim at the fanatics and no one else?”
“We can’t use AOE because of the risk we might hurt the children. Although, it’s impossible to shoot that far in the first place.”
“We’ll just need our archers to carry us.”
“Either them or the flying players, yeah.”
As we speak, the healers continue to revive and heal dead players. They’re prioritizing the tanks who’ve been losing their dodgeball matches right now. Without tanks to hold off the thin tentacles, the Dark Young will have no trouble doing away with us.
“Does using the same element make the spheres detonate faster?”
“You’re supposed to hit them with the opposite element.”
“Bows don’t work on them. The spheres detonate instantly.”
“It’s not completely pointless to use other methods, but anything other than the opposite element barely has any effect.”
“It’s a mine. It’s gonna blow up if it gets bumped.”
“Looks like using the same element within the first ten seconds makes the sphere blow up, destroying spheres of the opposite element around it. But we don’t know how many it can take out.”
“Ten seconds until detonation!”
We know which attacks come twice, which has allowed us opportunities to gather lots of information.
I slow my attack speed a bit to summarize this info and share it with the union.
Normal attack: Thin tentacles. The Dark Young attacks enemies within its range and defends against long-range attacks.
1/2. Simultaneously strikes two locations and sweeps two locations. Each location is random. Stand in lines and don’t stack up.
3. Dark Magic AOE shotgun spell. Races weak against Dark Magic will be instantly killed. Falling back is recommended.
4/5. Simultaneously strikes two locations and sweeps two locations. Each location is random. Stand in lines and don’t stack up.
6. Sweeps four times/strikes four locations twice. One sweep comes on the ground and one goes up in the air.
7. Light Magic AOE shotgun spell. Races weak against Light Magic will be instantly killed. Falling back is recommended.
8. Sweeps four times/strikes four locations twice. One sweep comes on the ground and one goes up in the air.
9. Scatters an assortment of Dark and Light spheres.
These spheres are combinations of mines and burst spells. They land in mine form, begin to swell, and burst ten seconds later.
The easiest way of eliminating them is to hit them against spheres of the opposite element. But be wary of nearby players who will be hurt.
Close-range physical attacks are a no-go. When the mines explode, anyone nearby will die instantly. Deal with the spheres the same way you would a mine.
You can hit the spheres with the opposite element. The same element has no effect. Any other element will have minimal effects.
When the spheres burst, they induce explosions of the same element. Bursts erase spheres of the opposite element, but the exact number is unknown.
Special moves:
A derivative move can occur from the normal strikes and sweeps. When the tentacles retreat, they attempt to grab hold of nearby players. Rescuing these players may be possible by attacking the tentacles, but you’re more likely to die before you get a chance.
By throwing multiple spheres from stage nine against the force field, you can shatter it with a single additional attack.
Attacking the Blessed of Shub-Niggurath may extend the timer for the Dark Young to calm down.
You have to target the fanatics specifically.
Be careful not to hit the kidnapping victims.
“Thanks for the summary!”
“Those of us on land don’t have time to read all that!”
“Yeah, seriously. There’s no mercy for us out here.”
Okay, time to return to attacking… Oh?
“What’s this?”
“It’s Scarlet Circle!”
“They’re sacrificing rabbits, but they’re trying to bring the children over too!”
“Not the kids!” everyone cries at once.
Ah, the Blessed looked at us and stopped. Have they calmed down? It’s the Dark Young who’s raging, it seems.
The Blessed release the rabbits and children and extend their hands toward the outsiders who rushed right for them, but those players drop to the floor to evade. Then they seize and slay the fanatics who were knocked out during the gap in the force field. Once the blood spills out of the fanatics’ wounds, it begins to move on its own and form the circle the spell is named for. Once the bloody circle is whole, two Blessed of Shub-Niggurath emerge from it.
“Th-there’s more of them!” everyone cries in unison.
Should I take it that Scarlet Circle will grow bigger, remain active for longer, and bring in more enemies over time? I just hope the force field doesn’t get stronger too. If it does, that probably means we’ll need to hit it with even more spheres next time.
“There’s a ton of corpses over on this side too.”
“C’mon, back on your feet!”
The Dark Young’s thin tentacles begin to move again once Scarlet Circle concludes.
“Are the kids gonna be sacrificed if we don’t break the barrier and kill the fanatics?”
“Are you sure we’re not supposed to capture the fanatics instead?”
“I don’t see the problem. The quest told us not to let them escape.”
“But dying for this cause is what they actually want.”
We don’t have time to waste capturing them, so their deaths are simply collateral damage—even a necessary sacrifice. It’s easier to put an end to thieves on the spot rather than apprehend them, right? Besides, it’s only natural to prioritize the children over the full-grown fanatics.
“Don’t they say that those with faith receive salvation?”
“Death is their salvation.”
“Except they’re going to the Abyss.”
“You can’t say that death will bring salvation for certain in this world. Well, I don’t know about the real world either, in that regard,” I say.
“Good point!”
Since the Dark Young’s HP isn’t draining at all, I doubt we’ll see changes in its attacks based on how much HP it has left. If anything changes, it will probably be due to the amount of time that’s passed. Also, since the Dark Young should be gradually calming down, its attacks might actually become more lenient. Frankly, our backs are against the wall in this current situation.
“What’s going on?”
“The Blessed are doing something?”
“S-something’s coming out of the circle!”
All of the Blessed now begin to summon their own minions. This isn’t uncommon in boss fights.
As the Dark Young’s thin tentacles give our tanks a good slapping, the minions charge forward to attack.
“Argh!”
“Off tanks! Now’s your time to shine!”
The minions have scampered down on top of the Dark Young’s thick tentacles, jumped over the heads of the frontliners and are now invading us backline players. The off tanks get their attention, probably so that close-range attackers can swoop in and take them out.
The players really haven’t had any chance to attack the Dark Young itself yet, since there’s such a limited amount of time for them to act. They have to avoid passing tentacle attacks, which only grants them a small window just after the Dark Young completes one of its strikes.
“Are these minions gonna be easier to kill?”
“No, there’s no way.”
“I suspect the more Blessed that appear, the more minions they’ll summon,” I tell the others.
“Ah, so it’s that sort of thing?”
The newly summoned Blessed possess the ability to use Scarlet Circle as well. I can just imagine the sheer number of enemies we’re going to have to fight later on.
“We cleared ’em all out, but what’s with the Dark Young?”
“It’s not moving!”
“Is it giving us time to recover?”
“Oh, here it comes!”
The thick tentacles start to move again.
It isn’t long before another pile of corpses has amassed on the ground.
“You guys oughta learn from Penguin Mercenary! You’re all dying way too much!”
“No thanks! ☆”
The person in the penguin costume is doing an excellent job. He’s gone without a single death and still has a lot of health left. It’s hard to miss him thanks to that outfit as well.
“Oh no, I’m almost out of MP!”
“What about your potions?”
“I used ’em all.”
“Then take one of mine.”
“Thanks!”
“You there! Did you know that potion contains an entire potion’s worth of magical energy?!”
“Knock it off! We’ll be dead if we mess up at all!”
“Whoa! Protect me, Princess!”
“It’s not very normal to use a princess as a meatshield, is it, Ms. Fairellen?” I ask her.
“Uha ha ha! I don’t mind the tentacle sweeps, since there’s only one at a time. But those spells are terrifying!” she replies.
“Yes, this event is much more difficult than the previous ones. It’s only us inhuman players who have flying abilities too.”
“I hate how certain elemental spells just tear you to shreds. Of course, us fairies are always on the verge of death anyway!”
Yes, that’s a constant for fairy races. They survive very well in the sky, but since we all start as races that can’t fly, it takes a while to get a knack for it. It must be very frightening to fly around while being so small.