The party members then suddenly received a system message.
*Emergency Quest Notification*
Survive the Storm
Someone has triggered the spell that was set in the church ruins. Survive the oncoming onslaught of enemies that wants to offer your soul to their master.
Clear Condition: Survive for the given time limit. At least one member must survive.
Failure: The church ruins will be completely destroyed and all the hidden artifacts and records in it.
Reward: Fear Resistance passive skill
Time Limit: 8 hours
They were caught unaware that they triggered something as there was not even a sign or something just that the sky suddenly darkened and it rained. Nevertheless, they came prepared. Even Peridot immediately stopped what she was doing and chugged a mana potion. She also prepared for battle because the given time limit was eight hours.
"What are they? Can you guys inspect them?" Peridot asked as she does not know what they were up against due to the area having no lighting.
The two also tried casting their inspect skill but it only came as fractured info as some were full of question marks. Their descriptions was not even displayed as if something was inhibiting their inspect skill. The only thing visible was their level and health.
Monster: D?ep ?n?s
Level: 55
HP: 100,000 / 100, 000
MP: ???? / ????
Description: Cannot be read
A frog fish men started clamoring and a gurgling sound was produced. When one of the frog fish men started the gurgling sound, the others followed suit. They also started dancing like a prayer for a few minutes before they stared intensely at the three person party as if they were prey or more precisely sacrifice.
When all the frog fish men stared at them simultaneously, the suddenly got shivers throughout their whole body as if the strange creatures staring at them were dissecting their body. The frog fish men started charging towards their location as if they were hungry for blood.
Kabrakan immediately used a strengthening skill so that he could be ready for any unforeseen attacks. He was also buffed by Peridot using one of her buff skills.
"Fortification" Kabrakan shouted.
"Let the Stone Skin" Peridot chanted.
Skill: Fortification
Tier: Uncommon
Type: Defensive Buff
Effect: Increases the user's stamina stat by 20% and physical defense by 20%.
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 6 minutes
Cast Time: Instant
Mana Cost: 300 Mana points
Skill: Stone Skin
Tier: Rare
Type: Defensive Buff
Effect: Increase the user's defense by 30% against physical attacks. Range attacks will deal 20% less damage.
Duration: 10 minutes
Cooldown: 10 minutes
Cast Time: Instant
Mana Cost: 500 Mana points
Levin Cloud immediately used a terrain changing move Mudpit to change the land around them as they frog fish men were traversing the water filled land with ease. When they stepped on the muddy land their feet sunk but by not much but the charging speed was lessened. Peridot then started using her spells.
Skill: Gem Aura Strike
Tier: Rare
Type: Active Projectile
Effect: Uses the gem's internal aura and convert them into five orbs of energy that you could shoot at enemies either as one or more projectiles. Each projectile deals 150% of the user's magic damage. Cooldown will only take effect after all projectiles are fired.
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Cast Time: Instant
Mana Cost: 800 Mana points
The frog fish men all charged towards them from different directions but Kabrakan immediately used his taunt skill to redirect aggro towards him. It was still manageable since there were only ten of these creatures. They all charged towards Kabrakan with their scaly claws. He managed to fend some of the strikes but since ten of them charged towards him even he could only do so much.
Thankfully, Levin Cloud's powerful heals could offset the continuous damage that he has taken. If a frog fish men were to strike at his back then Peridot would shoot a projectile towards that creature. The strangest thing was the creatures did not bother even coordinating with their kin and just lunged toward Kabrakan even if they bump or scratch their kin.
Levin Cloud thought this was strange behavior for creatures of the same kin but something felt different from this creatures. He then tried striking them with a Holy Smite skill and he was shocked because he dealt devastating damage.
[You have dealt 20,477 holy damage to the target.]
Levin Cloud was surprised as he was not expecting to deal that much damage because only creatures aligned with 'evil' will be dealt with tremendous damage. He thought the creatures before them was only amphibious in nature but it seems he has to reconsider his options.
"Do you guys have any holy attribute attacks or skill?" Levin Cloud suddenly asked as he still did his duty as a healer.
"I only have one and I could only use it once due to a restriction. Why are you asking?" Peridot answered as she continued buffing Kabrakan and hitting the creatures with spells.
"I used a holy attribute spell and it dealt tremendous damage." Levin Cloud immediately answered.
"I am getting overwhelmed here! Could you please hurry it up?!" Kabrakan said as he was getting bitten in the thighs, feet and arms by the frog fish men that increases their number by one every fifteen minutes. They been holding out for two hours and yet they only beat two from the original ten. New frog fish men also emerged during that time and now they numbered sixteen. Kabrakan was getting overwhelmed by the damage but Levin Cloud activated his area heal skill.
Peridot then took out a white crystal from her inventory and started chanting, "A jewel that has come from the heavens gifted by the gods. Show me your power and unleash your wrath upon these evil creatures. Holy Sunder."
Skill: Holy Sunder
Tier: Epic
Type: Active Damage
Effect: Call forth the holy power of the gods and ask for their help to sunder enemies and deal 500% magical holy damage in an area. Targets that are not killed will get weakened status that drops their stats by 10% (double for "evil" affiliated enemies).
Duration: 10 minutes
Cooldown: 20 minutes
Cast Time: 5 seconds
Mana Cost: 1,500 Mana points
Rays of light pierced the dark clouds and dealt damage to the frog fish men. Those that have been previously damage have been killed while those that was still had high health was dealt devastating damage. The white stone then shattered into dust as soon as Peridot finished her chant.
[Peridot has dealt 60,556 holy damage to the target.]
[Peridot has dealt 61,175 holy damage to the target.]
[Peridot has slain the target.]
[Peridot has slain the target.]
[Peridot has weakened the target by 20% of its total stats due to the target being aligned with evil.]
��…
The skill killing four frog fish men was very helpful to their front liner since the pressure on him decreased by a lot. Levin Cloud also finished off the ones in low health using his limited damaging skills. The sixteen frog fish men were now decreased to half.
"Can you not repeat the skill?" Levin cloud asked Peridot.
"Unfortunately, I cannot. That skill was inside that gem that I took out. It was only a catalyst for my skill that can unleash an attack depending on the type of stone I consume." Peridot answered.
Thanks to the healing skills of Levin Cloud, Kabrakan's health did not drop to the fifty per cent mark as the frog fish men seem to deal more damage the lesser your health. They endured for about seven hours already. Thankfully, the frog fish men only increased by one every fifteen minutes. That all change however in the final hour.
Two frog fish men appeared every fifteen minutes for about half an hour. They now have a total of twenty charging towards their front liner. The good thing is that the party have now gotten used to fighting them and now they could kill one every three minutes as long as they focused on that enemy.
They were still pressured because they were already almost out of consumables that they could use. Thankfully, only twenty minutes was left but to the three it felt like an eternity. They were carefully observing the clock as they were fighting their enemies. Time continued to pass.
"Only ten minutes left now!" Levin Cloud thought but the rain became heavier and even lightning struck.
When lightning struck, Peridot thought she saw a silhouette of some snake-like or dragon-like entity that was staring at them from afar but she just shook her head and treated it as her mind playing tricks on her due to fatigue which all three of them are experiencing due to repetitive battles. Thankfully, Peridot had given them stones that could recover fatigue but even that is running out.
During the last ten minutes of the fight, the frog fish men became crazier or more bloodthirsty than before. This burdened the three but thankfully they reduced their enemies' number to ten. Even Kabrakan almost died because he was clawed near his neck. Every minute there was a lightning strike in the distance and a different member would see the silhouette of a giant snake or dragon entity.
They did not realize that every time they saw that silhouette they were affected by a stack of fear status. Thankfully or luckily, they did not know what that was and nobody bothered to tell it as they would be more aware of the silhouette which would have been dangerous.
The three did not realize but the timer had already ended and they manage to kill every frog fish men that came at them. They sky became clear once again and the giant rock blocking the entrance of the hidden passage of the church suddenly crumbled.
[All members of the Cloud Party has cleared the quest 'Survive the Storm'. All members have gained fear resistance.]
The three were soaked in mud and water with a splash of blood here and there. Peridot and Kabrakan decided to not follow Levin Cloud in the passage and just wait for him to surface. The three did not know that they were so close to witnessing a Dark God.
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