Midsummer Feast

The bear glared at Merie with both sets of its eyes. Four of them, keeping all eyes on its, annoying, prey. Dancing and throwing herself around to avoid its massive paws.

“HEAD LOW, CUTIE!” As the request so did Merie ducking, and an Ice Bolt passed over her head. Merie was glad that Opiom was helping her, but couldn’t she have warned slightly earlier? If Merie had been unlucky and slightly slower with reacting, so would she have been hit in the back of the head by the spell. “HOW ARE THE FIGHT GOING OVER THERE?!” If Opiom had time to help her, so was it probably going well, but Merie would still like to know how long it possible could take before they were able to help her. “THEY’RE GIVING US A HARD TIME! BUT WE’RE ABLE TO HANDLE THEM THIS FAR!” Opiom’s answer wasn’t what Merie wanted to hear. And if Opiom expressed it that they were able to handle it this far, didn’t that mean there was a risk they were doing worse than when Merie left them?

Jumping backwards, barely landing before launching forward again. Just like before, so was Merie sure that she wouldn’t be able to kill the two-headed bear herself, but she was sure it was necessary for her to, at the very least, stop it from joining the other bears and hand the other in the party their asses. The Critical Area ability was still showing the armpits were the weak spot, but she wouldn’t even try to aim for those areas. Already sure that she would be handed her ass if she concentrated on anything else than simply surviving. At the very least, until the others joined her.

“ROLLING!” At Anlie’s shout so did Merie throw herself to the side, sure Anlie was coming from behind. And sure enough so did she pass Merie a second later, heading straight into the boss’s paw. Swapped to the side as a fly, losing a third of her health in the process. Which made it clear that Merie wouldn’t been able to survive a single attack from it. “ARE YOU DONE WITH THE REST, ANLIE?!” “ALMOST! BUT I WAS ALLOWED TO HELP YOU, DEAR!” Anlie was already back at her feet, heading straight to the boss again. Merie was glad fur the support, but shouldn’t it have been better for them to finish off the other bears first so they could solely concentrate on the boss? “MAKE SURE YOU DON’T DIE BEFORE THE OTHERS ARE JOINING US!” Thanks to Anlie’s help so could Merie focus slightly more on injuring the boss, but it wouldn’t be worth it if Anlie died in the process. As her help also would be important when the others joined them. Anlie crashed with the beast, by luck grabbing two of its arms.

Merie couldn’t deny that Anlie’s health sank far too fast, leaping into action. She didn’t know how well the boss could control all of its arms, but she could at least guess that it would be for the better good if she abandoned the idea of injuring the bear, and instead concentrated on distracting the other arms so they didn’t get the time to attack Anlie. All in the hope that the fucking idiot would survive until the others joined. Coming up from behind her friend, jumping over Anlie, forced to spin to avoid the incoming attacks. Passing the paws and the monster’s head, her foot delivered a light kick to its face. Dampen her connection, with the ground, with her hands. Rolling forward and getting up at her feet, just as fast following up with an attack toward its behind. The beast turned and threw Anlie toward her, halting her in her tracks. Without even thinking a few steps to the side, avoiding a collision. After landing so was Anlie back up at her feet just as fast as Merie had, “I wasn’t expecting that. And it might be good that you didn’t try to catch me, Dear.” Anlie hadn’t been the only one to not expect something like that. But it wasn’t a huge problem in all. “How long do you think it might take before the other joins?” An act like that might be a huge problem when they all were fighting the boss as the thrown person might hit one of the others. And it might be enough to kill Merie, Adu and Opiom, if they were unlucky. And even though they weren’t the strongest in the group, so were they undeniably carrying their part in the fight. “They should be done soon, Dear. But I don’t think we’ll be helped if the boss happens to throw Lart.” Why did she only think it would be a problem if it threw Lart? It would be a problem no matter who it threw, and especially if it would happen to hit someone.  “I was thinking less about one player, and more about what we could do together.” If only one more would help, so would they all get increased chances of hitting it.

Even though Anlie and Merie’s work was far from perfect, so were they able to cover for each other’s shortcomings. “RUSHING IN!” Merie almost fell over as the scream startled her, while landing after an attack, but she was glad to hear Lart’s warning. This should mean that the others were about to join, which would make everything much easier. “LAST SECOND, LART!” Anlie wasn’t even looking back as she answered. Maybe a strategy between the two of them? Not that Merie really cared, as long they didn’t kill each other.

Merie confirmed Lart’s position, feeling that she’d time to attack and get away before he would reach the bear. Not giving a single fuck about the empty battlefield behind him, as it no longer was out of any concern. Rushing toward it, smoothly passing Anlie’s side. Forced to duck a paw, but slashed up its side as she dodged the attack and passed it as a winter breeze.

Once again, the bear threw Anlie to the side, turning toward Merie with a fire burning in its eyes. If it wouldn’t be because Lart was on the way, so would she loudly expressed her displeasure with Anlie getting thrown away, like trash, once again. As it would mean that Merie’s life would’ve been on the line. A cloud of white-like dust exploded from the back of its head, surprising it for a second before it continued advancing toward Merie. But as it tried to get closer, so was Merie slowly stepping backwards. Trying to keep a sound distance for when Lart’s attack came. And he should rapidly come closer from behind the boss, right?

Adu jumped above the beast, from behind, piercing its shoulder as she passed. Turning its attention to herself, “HAVE IT, SIR!” Followed by the bear getting slashed from behind, sending it forward. “MOVE IN, ADU!” There was no chance they would get a better opportunity than this to put in some great attacks, and Merie wouldn’t waste it for anything in the world. Sure Adu thought the same, Merie ran forward. “Oki! YOU HEAD, I FRONT!” Adu hadn’t been thinking the same, but rapidly understood what Merie thought and joined without a second thought. Not that Merie quite could understand how Adu was thinking about attacking its front as the bear would land on its stomach. But she left that to be Adu’s problem.

Dust was kicked up as the boss hit the ground, seconds later it got showered by attacks from the two girls. Adu hadn’t in any way tried to attack its front, but had attacked what she could reach. Almost the very same as Merie, even though Merie aimed more for the area closer to the armpits as she hoped it would change the amount of damage they did. “CHARGE AGAIN, LART!” Anlie jumped into the fun as she ordered Lart, holding the lower edge of the shield and bashing it over the bear’s head over and over again. Almost making it look as if she made more use of it as a hammer than protective gear.

“YOU AIN’T GIVING ME ANY SPACE TO ATTACK, GIRLS!” Was Opiom, for once, afraid of hitting them by mistake? Not that she was wrong to worry about it, as they were ganging up at the boss for everything they were worth. “ONE CHARGE INCOMING!” Lart’s warning scattered the girls like insects, barely giving the bear a second to breathe before Lart swang down his axe over its back. Swinging again, again and a bunch of times more.

Merie could be guessed that the fight would be brutal, but not in this way. Honestly, so wasn’t she even sure it could be considered a fight anymore, as it looked like simple animal abuse. And she would’ve felt bad about it, if it shouldn’t be that the boss had been a bother.

“And… There it’s gone.~” Opiom stretched as she pointed out the obvious, satisfying looking at the flying sparkles from the bear’s death. Almost as if she would’ve been the one doing the heavy work. “I guess things go much smoother when handled with an axe. Isn’t that right, Sir?” Adu should’ve been able to figure that out herself, but maybe she had but decided to ask Lart for the sake of it? Either way, so was Merie glad that it was over, and she was honestly pleased that all of them still were alive. “Because Adu asked earlier, how do you think that we shall split the loot, if we even want to split it?” Merie shouldn’t cared about it in the slightest if it hadn’t been because Adu asked about it earlier. It usually went that everyone was keeping what they got, as long none had left a request about something or similar situations. “Did Adu got something interesting? Or did anyone get anything interesting someone of us can find interesting?” Anlie had the same mindset as Merie had about it. “I got something Merie might be able to find interesting, I think.” What could Adu have gotten that Merie could find interesting? Hopefully so wasn’t it anything out of the exact bad nature as Opiom could’ve found something interesting for her, which might’ve resulted in something embarrassing as the frilly dress she bought for Merie when they would be hunting in the mountains.

As everyone started to trade their loot, so did Merie let out a relived inward sigh. The equipment from Adu hadn’t been anything out of an embarrassing nature, instead so was it a set of bear paws. Most probably so were they used in, more or less, the same way as her claws. And looking at them so did Merie see they were increasing her strength quite a bit, so she should maybe try them out during a calmer setting. When she didn’t risk dying from a single mistake, so perhaps some goblin hunts should be fine. And even more interesting, “What does it mean if a weapon has slots?” Merie hadn’t any other equipment with slots, so it was probably quite new. Even stranger was that she couldn’t remember she heard anyone write about it at the forum. “I think it’s something like getting Legendary equipment, you need to be deep-ass lucky. And I’ve heard that it’s possible to put crystals in the slots, so you get some extra effects on your weapon. But those crystals are also kind of rare.” Opiom had heard much more than anyone else in the group, at least so wasn’t there anyone else following up her explanation. “Do you want to have it back, Adu?” Merie wouldn’t blame her for a second if she wanted the equipment back, just hearing about the rarity gave Merie a feeling of how valuable it could be. “As long you don’t plan to sell it, so can you keep it, Merie. That kind of weapon doesn’t fit my style, so I think you’ll make more use of it than I will.” How could Adu even think that Merie would consider selling it? Not only so was it equipment she’d got from a friend, but it was also possible to change it, which could make it a perfect tool to use as she hunted others. If she would decide to use it for only that, which honestly could be fun. “Maybe we should spend a couple of days to search for that kind of equipment and crystals sometime. I think we might hand some other players their asses when we get out for hunts.” Lart’s idea sounded horrifying if thinking about him increasing his strength even more. Or if he would end up as fast as Merie, something like a hyperactive and mad truck. Running over anything in his way, leaving next to nothing remaining.